Ride Stats:
Distance: 107.33 (172.73 km)
Ride Time: 7:10:11
Avg: 14.97 mph (24.09 km/h)
Stage 2 topics:
--Riding with the tandem couple Fran & Jim
--Gary's eventful day
--A personal oil well
This is Fran and Jim of Deerfield, IL. I met them last year when they joined our Bicycle Illinois group midway through the event in Champaign and completed the last three days into Chicago. I ran into them again this past May at the Bike The Drive starting line when they informed me they would be doing the complete Bicycle Illinois this year.
Because of construction in Carbondale, our route had to be detoured this morning and as a result, we all rolled as a group. As the group stretched out, I found myself next to Fran and Jim on their tandem. I wound up riding with them for the entire main route today. If you EVER have the chance to draft off a tandem, DO IT!! We were done with by 1:00 PM (Jim, the check is in the mail :)). Even though I still had the loop to complete today's century, I figured I'd be done really early. While we were riding, we started chatting and I found out Jim has had a number of medical issues over the years. Although he followed his doctor's advice and stuck to their prescribed regimen, he said he still didn't feel good. Until he started cycling. He says the physicality of cycling has allowed him to feel like his old self again. He and Fran ride 35 miles every morning. And now he says because of cycling, he has his life back. So to all of you non-cyclists out there who tell me you can't do it.......YOU CAN! :) Start small and keep at it and the sky's the limit!
I had a very interesting ride day. While riding with Fran and Jim, I was daydreaming at one point and the next thing I know, I'm off the road and IN A DITCH!! Luckily, I was able to keep control of the bike and did not fall. I calmly unclipped, walked my bike out of the grassy ditch back to the road and continued my ride. Not five seconds later, I dropped my water bottle trying to put it back in the cage. So I had to turn around and retrieve it. It was at this point Jim accused me of being a slacker and holding up progress. I told him if you looked up the word 'slacker' in the dictionary, he'd see my picture! :) Then, while I'm on the loop to complete the century, I get a flat tire! A piece of glass punctured my tire and tube. No problem. I've changed tubes before. I took the old tube out, found the spot on the tire where the glass had punctured it and removed the shard of glass. In order to "patch" the tire until I could get a new one, I took a $5.00 bill and placed it inside the tire at the spot of the puncture. For all of you young cyclists out there, the paper used to make money is stronger than regular paper and will make a tire puncture resistant. So I put the new tube in, whipped out the CO2 inflator and reached in to pull out a CO2 cartridge and discovered I HAD NO CO2!! I never put the CO2 back in my saddlebag when the bike cam back from the Tahoe ride. Female Parental Unit Fornicator! So I had to sheepishly call the ride director Rob and ask him for some air. He zipped on out to my location and pumped up the tire and I was able to complete the century. So to you young cyclists out there, DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING!! CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT BEFORE YOU RIDE!! DON'T BE LIKE ME TODAY! :)
I was riding in a neighborhood today when I came upon this oil well in somebody's backyard. Let me repeat this: AN OIL WELL IN SOMEBODY'S BACKYARD!! Hope they're not affiliated with BP! :)
Tomorrow's stage will see our peleton travel approximately 85 miles to Effingham, IL. I will talk to you then!
Hole!
Gary
"The best rides are the ones where you bite off much more than you can chew, and live through it." --Doug Bradberry
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