THE DAY BEFORE
Vivi inflating my bike tires. 45psi worked great!
Vivi helping me make my trail mix, of which I brought way too much.
RACE DAY
The race’s staging area, full of cars and even fuller of bikes and riders. A great, inspiring sight.
At the start, racers packing in.
Me on the start line.
The only official stop, near mile 40.
A long descent, around mile 70, after the only checkpoint. I was snapping pictures while my partner fixed a puncture.
A minute after the kick to the line. (I finished second in the two-up sprint.)
A few minutes later, after a warm Coke (delicious!) and a slice of blueberry bread, I felt good enough to smile but not good enough to remember to unsnap my helmet.
My thighs and their ridiculous tan lines, a few minutes after finishing.
My weary bike and my mileage total.
Back at home, I broke my two-week beer fast with this glass of deliciousness.
THE DAY AFTER
I took a 20-minute recovery ride, paced by my riding partner…
I washed my bike, because pretty much all of it was covered in grit like this.
My carefully-chosen “reward” beer. An interesting drink…