It was worth all the hard work, hours on the road training, getting to spend time with my Lenny, helping out a great cause, & accomplishing a huge goal for myself all at the same time. Thank you again for your donations to MS and for supporting Leonard & I. Yesterday's ride was really amazing and I could feel your love, support, thoughts, & prayers! I am still alive and walking. It really wasn't too bad and I can't wait to do it again. Come along with me while I re-live this great day of riding...
Leonard & I woke up at 4:30am and were out the door at 5am to drive to Florence, AZ. It was a chilly morning. 45 degrees about. My mom was a saint and let my kiddos stay the night at her place Friday night and cared for them all day for us! THANKS MOM! LOVE YOU! anyway we met our team members at Heritage Park, (the starting place). Mike...A.K.A. the ANIMAL Ultra Endurance Bike Rider, The Machine, Our Biking Guru...I know he has a lot of titles :) the guy in the blue vest! He is our Team Captain and has lighted the fire in Leonard and I to ride this century with him and Join Team NetApp. Sean, the other guy also is a biking machine! We are ready to ride!
Leonard & I anxiously wait for the start of our ride. We were in the first group of riders and Leonard noticed he had some tire issues. The tube was popping out. He hurried over to the mechanic to get it fixed and came back in time for the second wave, but then again the tire was still not fixed. we all hopped out of line and went with Leonard to the mechanic where he replace the tube with a new one. PHEW! We were both feeling a bit sick to our stomach about the almost tire fiasco. But all is well with us. Then our team was ready to catch the 3rd wave of riders starting and our teammate Robert's bike cleat was way loose and it needed fixing. He & Mike stayed behind to fix it while the rest of us..4...headed out for the ride. Crazy Morning!
This isn't the best pic, but there were about 500-600 riders I am guessing??? This was the first wave. The energy was contagious! excited and nervous. I just want to get on the road!
Here we are! FINALLY on the road and loving it! 100 miles here we come!
Leonard and I taking a breather at SAG Stop 2 (Stop and Go) These rest stops were really great. You could stretch, use the potty, refuel with fruit, pretzels, energy bars, refill water bottles with water and Gatorade. They even had a "Strip & Ship" service. Where we could leave our arm warmers, coats, long fingered gloves or anything you didn't want to carry with you. They would put your # on it and you could pick it up at the finish! i loved it!
Leonard was #466!
This is what people saw as I zoomed past them! #447 hee hee just kidding! Leonard & I were definitely the slowest in our group of speed demons! They were pulling us along. We really have to thank our Team NetApp for hanging in there with us slow pokes :)
Here are some cool shots of our team riding up the big hill of our ride. This is Sean...He was tearing up the road. He is a very fast and strong rider. Go Sean!
Russel rocked the house on his sweet Recumbent bike! He was an animal out there. This was his first century ride too! We could not keep up with this guy! He was fun to get to know! Friendly guy!
Here is the rest of us catching up. We are the 4 on the right. Awesome pic hu? This is what it looked like. A nice desert ride! The roads were really good. Pretty smooth and spacious...well a lot of it was. It really was a perfect day! Gorgeous weather, low winds and my workhorse Robert to draft off of! Thanks Robert! You are the Man!
A closer shot of Team NetApp!
A closer shot of Team NetApp!This is Robert! He is a hoot! This guy has so much energy. It is amazing. He is fun and happy. He is our personal radio for the ride. Belting out this tune and that tune. I was laughing a lot! I asked for requests but no luck. The Gansta Rap was my favorite :)
Here I am with my hunk behind me. I am still happy :) although at this point in the ride Leonard & I began a new milestone. We are passing our longest ride record. 65 and counting. My sit bones are really feeling sore by now and I have a tiny bit of doubt. We still have about 40 miles to go. I tried to think of happy thoughts and put a smile on my face! I can do it!
Leonard...my Man is doing awesome! He is such a great support to me. He was sweet to make sure I was ok the whole ride and that our pace was ok. When our team was pedaling too fast he's let them know we were at top speed for this stretch of the ride. He stuck with me the whole time. I couldn't ask for a better teammate! I just love my Leonard!
Behind Leonard is the MASTER... Mike. you know, our bike guru! He is one tough dude! We really like Mike! He really is in inspiration! We are so happy to be on his team. I know we were way to slow for him, but he was a great support and made us feel fast! Thanks Mike :)
Still Smiling at our last rest stop. So far we have ridden 78 miles. 22 more to go! I can't believe we have already gone this far! WOW! These SAG stops are a great time to refuel and stretch & take a breather. Well we ended up hanging out here for about 40 mins or so. Russell, with the recumbent bike dude, had some a flat. and then got another one right after that. Then realized he had many loose spokes on his wheel which was causing the flats. He ended up walking his bike for about 1/2 mile til Mike saved the day and got him riding to get to this stop where the mechanic could fix it up. I was sad for Russell and the bad luck but happy for my behind to be off the saddle for more than 5-10 minutes. Sorry Russell :) But is was hard to get going again after this relaxing break! WOWZERS!!
The Bike MS Round up Ride has the best group of volunteers ever! I was amazed at the kindness they shared with us riders. When we rolled into a rest stop they would be there to hold our bikes for us while we refueled and such. It was so cool. I felt bad for our helpers this stop. We tried to get our bikes from them and hold them ourselves since we were here so long, but they insisted to help out! Wow, way to to Volunteers! You are awesome! Thanks. Speaking of volunteers, the police were there to stop traffic for us so we could run lights and stop signs. It was awesome to cruise through stops like that! We were like a broken record thanking each one them as we rode past them!
Here is the "food & drink" tent! This is where refueled! It was great! they even had ice for our drinks. Pretty Nice I must say :)
AAahhhh! The good ole Porta-John Potty's! you got to love them ;) I was happy they were available to use! Drinking A lot of fluid means one thing..... :) Hello JOHNNY!
Here is Robert...Funny thing I have to share about this guy! He decided to wear 2 pairs of socks to keep his feet warm! SILLY ROBERT!!! He couldn't figure out why his feet were killing him this last 10 miles. He took off the extra pair and wow! Feeling good again :) I told him he needs to invest in some toe warmers.... a little sleeve/sock that you wear on the outside out your shoe and it is easy to take off when the weather warms up! I found it funny he hadn't discovered this awesome tip yet. Works like a charm and this amateur girl knows that! Robert is riding 1 century ride every month for 12 months and will receive this awesome award and medal by next year! (I think this is his 4th Century so far!) I am very impressed! He is an Animal!
Sean... finally catching up with this speed demon! I got to ride with him in the front of the pack the last leg of our ride and I was cool hearing his story about him getting into biking. I was able to stay with him for a bit and then all of the sudden I crash (oh not into something) i mean I ran out of energy to stay with him, so back to the pack I go :) It was an amazing last 22 miles. Every mile was another awesome accomplishment in my eyes! We were so pumped to get to the finish we skipped the last SAG stop and rode strong to the finish! The energy and excitement of this adventure carried me through the end! We whooped and hollered at the volunteers as they shouted back for joy with us as we finished her up! It was so exhilarating! AAAHHHH!
So here we are Team NetApp! We did it! We are CENTURIONS!!! 100 miles under my belt! We even got medals! SWEET! (I almost wore my medal to church today, I was so happy but thought that would be a little overboard so I held back!) I am so excited, joyous and my neck is cramping, my sit bones feel bruised and sore, but I am HAPPY! Thank You guys for being great team mates and for helping Leonard & I accomplish this awesome goal! We couldn't have done it as quickly with out you! THANKS! I would love to ride with you all again! If you'd let us ;)
We did have 2 friends waiting for us at the finish! My good friend Laura & Christy. They were there as sponsors with Dr. Hoy's Pain Relief Gel. It was great getting a hug and a hi-five from these awesome ladies. I sure loved getting a little relief rubbing some of that AMAZING gel on my aching neck! It really is the best you should try some! It really works! TRUST ME!!! check it out HERE. I was so glad they were there to help me out and share some fun stories with them!
Still Smiling at our last rest stop. So far we have ridden 78 miles. 22 more to go! I can't believe we have already gone this far! WOW! These SAG stops are a great time to refuel and stretch & take a breather. Well we ended up hanging out here for about 40 mins or so. Russell, with the recumbent bike dude, had some a flat. and then got another one right after that. Then realized he had many loose spokes on his wheel which was causing the flats. He ended up walking his bike for about 1/2 mile til Mike saved the day and got him riding to get to this stop where the mechanic could fix it up. I was sad for Russell and the bad luck but happy for my behind to be off the saddle for more than 5-10 minutes. Sorry Russell :) But is was hard to get going again after this relaxing break! WOWZERS!!
The Bike MS Round up Ride has the best group of volunteers ever! I was amazed at the kindness they shared with us riders. When we rolled into a rest stop they would be there to hold our bikes for us while we refueled and such. It was so cool. I felt bad for our helpers this stop. We tried to get our bikes from them and hold them ourselves since we were here so long, but they insisted to help out! Wow, way to to Volunteers! You are awesome! Thanks. Speaking of volunteers, the police were there to stop traffic for us so we could run lights and stop signs. It was awesome to cruise through stops like that! We were like a broken record thanking each one them as we rode past them!
Here is the "food & drink" tent! This is where refueled! It was great! they even had ice for our drinks. Pretty Nice I must say :)
AAahhhh! The good ole Porta-John Potty's! you got to love them ;) I was happy they were available to use! Drinking A lot of fluid means one thing..... :) Hello JOHNNY!
Here is Robert...Funny thing I have to share about this guy! He decided to wear 2 pairs of socks to keep his feet warm! SILLY ROBERT!!! He couldn't figure out why his feet were killing him this last 10 miles. He took off the extra pair and wow! Feeling good again :) I told him he needs to invest in some toe warmers.... a little sleeve/sock that you wear on the outside out your shoe and it is easy to take off when the weather warms up! I found it funny he hadn't discovered this awesome tip yet. Works like a charm and this amateur girl knows that! Robert is riding 1 century ride every month for 12 months and will receive this awesome award and medal by next year! (I think this is his 4th Century so far!) I am very impressed! He is an Animal!
Sean... finally catching up with this speed demon! I got to ride with him in the front of the pack the last leg of our ride and I was cool hearing his story about him getting into biking. I was able to stay with him for a bit and then all of the sudden I crash (oh not into something) i mean I ran out of energy to stay with him, so back to the pack I go :) It was an amazing last 22 miles. Every mile was another awesome accomplishment in my eyes! We were so pumped to get to the finish we skipped the last SAG stop and rode strong to the finish! The energy and excitement of this adventure carried me through the end! We whooped and hollered at the volunteers as they shouted back for joy with us as we finished her up! It was so exhilarating! AAAHHHH!
So here we are Team NetApp! We did it! We are CENTURIONS!!! 100 miles under my belt! We even got medals! SWEET! (I almost wore my medal to church today, I was so happy but thought that would be a little overboard so I held back!) I am so excited, joyous and my neck is cramping, my sit bones feel bruised and sore, but I am HAPPY! Thank You guys for being great team mates and for helping Leonard & I accomplish this awesome goal! We couldn't have done it as quickly with out you! THANKS! I would love to ride with you all again! If you'd let us ;)
We did have 2 friends waiting for us at the finish! My good friend Laura & Christy. They were there as sponsors with Dr. Hoy's Pain Relief Gel. It was great getting a hug and a hi-five from these awesome ladies. I sure loved getting a little relief rubbing some of that AMAZING gel on my aching neck! It really is the best you should try some! It really works! TRUST ME!!! check it out HERE. I was so glad they were there to help me out and share some fun stories with them!So let me "Round-Up" all the nitty gritty details into some great Stats.....
* 7 hours of riding
* 1.5 hours of rest stop breaks
* including 4 flat tires
* 1 broken bike cleat
* 2 double sock wearers...Robert and Russell too! I was shocked :)
* Unlimited water & Gatorade refills
* Unlimited food refills..fruit, energy bars...etc.
* AWESOME volunteers
* 31 thousand pedal revolutions...can you believe it? no wonder my knee is a bit achy.
* 6000 calories burned..oh yeah!
* hours of great conversation and meditation
* Creating amazing memories
* Spending time with my Lenny
* 100 miles through AZ cities of Florence, Coolidge, Casa Grande & the Gila River Indian Reservation, back through Coolidge and ending at Heritage Park in Florence, AZ!
I AM A CENTURION!!!! woooooo hooooo! :)
Let's do it again!
The kids pile in for the first canoe ride of the day! Blake is so excited! Macee is very scared! 
Off they go!
Go Kaitlyn! Blake is having a blast! He loves the boat :)
The girls splashing and making mud pies.
