Last Saturday I participated in my first ever bicycling event, sponsored by our local bike organization, Conway Advocates for Bicycles (CAB). It was a picture-perfect day, and I decided to limit myself to the intermediate ride as I reached the 1 half-way mark for the 28-mile course. My butt was sore and I was experiencing some calf cramping and tightness (damn the cramping...it doesn't happen often, but I never know when it will...I had eaten my daily banana too!).

Upon completing the route, I noticed some definite tightness in the quads as well. I then did some stretching, and luckily I felt no residue on Sunday!

A tasty lunch was served all the cyclists (perhaps somewhere around 100 total), which I enjoyed with lots of good conversation on this sparkling day. Thanks to fellow CAB member and photographer, Rick Bell, I have a few shots:


338, lucky number!








First incline!


Some stuck around for the drawing, etc.


My dear friend Fritzie, who I talked into doing the tour, won the Grand Prize in the raffle, a sexy Orbea road bike from Spain (+/-$1300).

Fritzie had been riding her road bike since 1977 -- she bought it new when she started law school, I believe! She gave it to our Guatemalan friend, Victor, who also did the cycling tour. He rode 45-mile route, but had to stop a couple miles from the finish because his gears malfunctioned. Great timing on Fritzie's gift!

My feeling, as I completed the course, is that I want to do more serious, long-distance cycling, building up strength and endurance, so that I can easily handle the 45- or 63-mile route next fall...and eventually on to a CENTURY RIDE, like my SparkHero Don Doorn...before I hit MY century mark (ok, so that gives me 30 years, LOL)!!!

Don said, after completing his first 100-miles ride last summer, "Breaking through to my century was such a LIBERATING, EMPOWERING feeling! I feel like, okay, let's hop on my bike, spin the wheel and go wherever I want to go! The SKY'S the LIMIT!"
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BTW, Don FIRST broke the "century" barrier with his weight...he is carrying around 120 fewer pounds!!! And indeed he has done TWO 100+ rides this summer as well, through NY's Finger Lakes and the Big Apple!
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and
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DOORN

I TOO want to be a "Certifiable CyclePath" when I grow up!!!