Ok, I admit it. I got out of bed and the first thing I did was call the TNT Hotline in hopes we weren't riding because the weather was so bad. Ok, well it wasn't the first thing I did. I actually cursed the early hour and hit the snooze three times, but all that is semantics.
Once I finally got my butt moving, I rolled out to Half Moon Bay through intermittent rain thinking about how horrible the ride was going to be due to the cold and a certain ascent up my nemesis Tunitas Creek. Wow... was I wrong! This was one of the best rides I rides I have been on in recent memory. Somehow everything just seemed easy and I felt strong the whole day even though my left knee was cranky as all get out. Our team really came together and had a fantastic time. Everyone rode like champions and the spirit was through the roof. Even Erick who had two flats that landed us in the SAG vehicle with Rich for five miles to catch up was having a great time.
During the course of the ride we came up with a name for our team, "Team Rawhide" and proceeded to sing our new theme song throughout the whole ride. (Special note, after the ride Coach Cliff actually composed a new "Team Rawhide" song which is sure to be a hit.) One of the things that really made the ride great for me was getting to ride for extended periods with almost all of our team members. Special shout outs to: Vanessa for smiling on the climbs even when it hurt; for T-Bone's making it through the descents despite being scared; and for the Zen-like presence of the mighty Buddha, DZ.
It is great to be associated with such great people. I am honored to be in each of my teammates' presence. And, of course, I very happy and thankful that Coach Cliff was not hurt badly when he took his tumble on one of the final, slippery descents.
Today's photos show some of my fantastic teammates -- they(you) are the best!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment