Bunyan's to Bob's

Yesterday I went on a great ride and learned a TON about myself and uncommon friendships. A group of us road from Bunyan's to Bob's and a smaller group of us made if from Bob's back to Bunyan's. The night before I hadn't been feeling well and threw up once, but I drank a lot of water and put on my big girl panties and rode anyways. That may not have been the wisest decision. I really wasn't feeling well for quite a while on the ride, but I tried to stay in good spirits and learned that cycling is a mental sport. But then I learned that I was insane. Who in their right mind would ride thirty some miles to go to a place that served huge burgers? Who would ride when they were a Vegetarian? So getting to Bob's was really enjoyable and I had fun meeting new people and getting to know old friends better. The 7 miles into the wind when we turned on to highway 9 were foreshadowing what was to come on the return trip. It wasn't easy thats for sure but it was a character builder. So at Bob's I enjoyed cheese balls (A HUGE AMOUNT!) and a free grilled cheese, but better than anything was drinking water and telling the war stories of the ride. It felt good being among friends who experienced something else that no one in the world could experience if they weren't there. After learning that Bob's didn't have a sink in the bathroom, we watched people who left the bathroom without washing their hands (GROSS) and laughed at them. After our bellies were full, we hopped back on our bikes hoping for the wind to changes directions. Our hope was wrong and for 7 miles we went with the wind but for the remainder of the trip we battled the wind sometimes going at turtle-crawling speed. There was times that I hardly keep my bike vertical as I battled the intense 25 mph wind. For a few miles the sag wagon drove in front of me letting me take the draft. It was excellent and it helped me out so much! As I arrived in New Castle I got a second wind. I took a little rest and hopped back on my bike. As we were biking we caught a couple of other riders who were stopped. A derailleur had exploded. My friend Ed caught me and we peddled together for a ways. This was really fun for me because the uncommon friendship that Ed and I have had for the past year from Carey's and Church was solidified a bit more through biking.He encouraged me and we kept our spirits high and soon, we were over the bridge. Even though e peddling downhill, and were still working hard, we had a good time. The last two miles of the trip were the hardest. Our speed dropped to less the 7 mph at times and I struggled to keep pedaling but as we rounded the corner to go up Winery hill, the wind's force finally was in our favor and pushed us up to Bunyan's. Our ride was complete. I celebrated with a beer. I was happy. I learned that despite all odds, I could finish even when I doubted myself. It was tough but it was a character builder.