I started with the front group for about 10 miles, then slowly crept back as it was too fast for me. I found a group of about 5 that worked well until mile 40, then it was just two of us for a bit. At one point, I was pulling and out of the saddle, and the guy behind me said, "Take it easy, we're doing 320 watts and only going 12 mph." That gravel was peanut butter, stealing speed. At mile 50, my light died, so I spent another 3-ish hours in complete darkness, hoping I didn't hit anything. But the moon had the road lit up like a nightlight it was very peaceful, honestly. I finished my first century before the sun came up. I impressed myself with that and then got to my first checkpoint. The morale boost of seeing my teammates and friends was what I needed. At about mile 150, I was starting to fade a bit. My legs felt good, but I was by myself by this time and really had to push myself to stay at speed. I made multiple friends on the course—no talking, just pedaling. A couple of highlights from 150 to 200: I asked to be hosed down at a random lady's house, and she was like, "Sure, I got you." The well water was cold but nice. Also, seeing the GDG crew out there and just the people that live on the course being so nice when you ride by looking absolutely exhausted. I had a rough time with some foot pain but was able to overcome it and finish strong, pulling in with a time of 17 hours, 1 minute, 19 seconds, which is faster than last year, which was my main goal. But also, overall, I got 36th place. That is literally insane! I can't believe I was capable of pulling off a result like that from my first year, taking 23 hours and getting 2nd to last. Thank you to my teammates following me across the state being my support genuinely couldnt do it without you! and I'm thankful for the opportunity to line up this year, and we'll see about next year.
Special thank you to
@hedwheels
@opencycles
@tailwindnutrition
@versusraceteam
#cycling #tailwindnutrition #hedwheels #dayacrossminnesota
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