Tour de Heifer 2016

The forecast called for rain, we should be clear about that. Not good for multiple hours on a bike on dirt roads. 

But I’m in training, and I was enticed by the promise of riding buddies Hank and Andy singing “If I Only Had a Brain,” and besides the radar map showed a nice gap between showers. How bad could it be? To be safer, I toned my ambitions down from the 60-miler to the still-respectable 30, but then added a few more by leaving from the house instead of driving. So, a short ride but I still found a way to get extra credit. 

In the end it only rained on us part of the time, and the ride really wasn’t miserable at all. Muddy, yes, hilly, yes, and wet, but not awful. I’m going to invest in a front fender. 

The scenery was lush and beautiful. I got to ride with Andy the whole way after the rest of our group peeled off early. I got to meet Eddie from Pittsburgh, who dragged his new bride here just do he could ride this course. The hills proved tough for him, but he got through with some encouragement from Coach Hank. 

And I even got to be up close and personal with a salamander on one of the rest stops. 

Best of all is sitting home now, warm, showered and rehydrated, listening to the hardest rain of the day. Next year I hope I’ll have the oomph to try the 60.