The perfect biking conditions in Georgia continue. I know it is hot and the humidity is at 91% at 6am, but the roads are great, the traffic is minimal and the scenery gorgeous. We set off mainly as one big group. I actually take my turn at pulling shortly after we left the hotel, and end up dropping everyone. It is a rookie mistake that I've made before. I set a pace that is too high for this point in the day. This group likes to warm up for the first five miles or so. It has all the appearances of a solo breakaway, but we all know better.
Jay brings the rest of the group up to me and yells "How's it going Captian Protein?" (that's a reference to last night's dinner). I snuggle into the paceline. I won't bore you with all the blow-by-blow details, but just let me say this.... that next 37 miles was probably the most enjoyable biking I've ever done. I was biking through my favorite territory, with a great group of people and we were going extremely fast. This is on relatively flat terrain and no wind (to speak of).
We arrive at the first SAG, and there are moon pies and RC Cola waiting for us. I can't tell if the building next to us is a church or a house that used to be a church. It has stained-glass windows and a steeple, but it looks more like a home.
The lunch SAG is at mile 72. Most of us are still in one big group, setting a grueling pace and taking turns at the front. I've learned about my limitations on pulling at this point in the day and keep my pulls relatively short. Reem barks orders at me when it looks like I'm about to fall off the back. It keeps me in the pack (and scares me). Two miles from the lunch SAG, I do fall off the back and Rick stays with me. We arrive at the lunch just as the other riders are getting off of their bikes.
The lunch SAG is possibly the best SAG location ever. We are under tall hardwoods on a deserted road. I don't remember one car going past. We have all the chairs out, and several of us suggest calling it a day. We had biked extremely hard to get there and want to stay. When we do leave, we don't do it as a group. There was some confusion, and Reem was left behind. I was pretty far behind as well, and I chase down the group to let them know that they forgot Reem. Russ says he will wait for her. I stop as well... but then remember that I was dropped right before lunch and I'm probably not in the best shape to stay with two professional cyclists when they get going. So I mosy up the road a bit.
I'm biking by myself and doing OK. Not killer fast by any means. But I know that an express train will be coming by shortly, and I hope to catch a ride. Sure enough... about 17 miles from the motel, I hear the train. I hop on with Russ and Reem. It is all I can do to stay attached. We catch up with Wolfgang and Rick, and we have a five-person paceline coming into Vidalia. As always seems to be the case, the motel is on the far side of town. Vidalia is bigger than I expected. As the motel comes in sight, I challenge Russ to a motel sprint. He kills me to the motel entrance, but Reem screams past us to be the first at the door - nearly crashing into the lobby. It is a ton of fun (How old am I? Like 12?).
Once again, we're at the motel before 3pm. A few of us hit the convenience store and KFC for a pre-dinner snack. Dinner is at 5:30pm when 11 of us descend upon Ruby Tuesday's. We spend about two hours there... no one in a hurry to leave. Just re-living the days out west... which seem to be about four months ago.
We're almost at the end of our journey. Mike had told us that we'd start to notice changes in our bodies by the third week. And we have. They're falling apart. Actually, I feel a lot different; but I'm not sure it shows. It is so hard to tell. I imagine that I will lose weight after the ride ends (like last time). I will be extremely disappointed if I've biked 120 miles per day for a month and don't lose any weight.
I can tell the difference in a few other riders. The other day, Randy said to Reem, "Don't take this the wrong way, but... your butt is a lot tighter than when we started." Seriously... how could she have possibly taken that the wrong way? Randy also told me that my face looked a lot thinner. However, he neglected to say anything about my butt. Randy is always giving compliments - 'cause that's just the kinda guy he is.
Tomorrow is our final ride, and each one of us is so excited. We've enjoyed the company, but we are exhausted. Greg LeMond (3 time TdF winner) once said about cycling "It never gets easier, ... you just get faster." And that sums up this group. They keep pushing themselves and each other. We rode today at a 5 hour century pace. AFTER BIKING 2900 MILES IN 26 DAYS! My shorts were covered in salt (I'm sure my jersey was as well, .... it just shows up better on black shorts). I was soaked. I had always thought that by this point in the ride that it would be easier. But it wasn't easier.... we just went faster.
I often wonder what it would have been like to bike across the country with the group where several of the riders rented a car to jump ahead several days. Or the group where they hopped a train to get ahead. Would I have been the best rider in those groups? At the end of the day, would they have all been talking about me?
"He did it again. He rode the whole way."
"He wasn't in the van at all? Are you sure?"
"Three of us were in the silver van and four were in the gold van... he wasn't there."
"How does he do it?"
"He's a machine, man. A freakin' machine."
"I say we rent another car."
Hey... I can dream, can't I? But I don't think it would have been near as much fun. The riders on this trip have really forced me to up my game. Every single one of them has offered support and words of encouragement. I'm going to miss all of them.
Bark? Are you comparing me to an Albama dog?
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