Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Wind

Now that I'm back on the home front and no longer in the sunny south, the training conditions call for a bit more grit. With the upcoming 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge on May 3rd, I'm trying to ride as much as I can. This weekend called for wind, rain and temps around 41. With that in mind I joined a group ride Saturday morning for a 45 mile ride up to Bridgeton and back. It rained about 50% of the time, but not to heavy. The grit part came on the ride back into the wind with several sections into sleet with a 20 mph wind propelling it into our faces. I had to put my hand in front of my face like a visor just to see in certain sections.

It may sound a bit absurd, but I kind of liked it. Somehow you feel like you are gaining an edge on the competition when you are able to endure such testing. My friend Tom Paterson was along for the ride along with Tom Newlin. Tom N is training for a cross country ride late this month that starts in California and ends 27 days later on the other side of the U.S. He actually rode off when we finished to another 45 miles. Maybe I need to sharpen my edge a bit more ...

The 100 mile 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge starts and finishes in Chattanooga. Last year it took me about 6 hours and 30 minutes including stops. This year I hope to ride a bit quicker and stop less for a faster time. Well, thats the plan anyway. For details see
http://www.chattbike.com/events/3_state/3stchlng.htm

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