July 16 - Day 31 - Get up and GO!

“How do I know my youth is all spent? My get up and go has got up and went!” (song on a Matt Watroba CD)

Well, I ain’t there yet folks. Yesterday I quickly fell into last position after the Mile 40 SAG stop (a position I am not unfamiliar with for various reasons – sweeping (being last on purpose), having a flat tire (two for two yesterday and the day before), having my fellow slow riders ditch me for a ride in the truck (no names will be mentioned), checking out the boat launch near the rest stop only to find that everyone else has since left (this happened yesterday), and, well, being old). So, being determined to fall no further behind than I already was, and seeing a large hill quickly approaching, I “popped a GU” (actually a Cliff Shot – Chocolate). Well!

First, I caught up to Aaron, who promptly began to draft me. We then caught up to Dani and Josh, who fell into position behind Aaron, leaving poor Dani to fend for herself. We continued to climb for a while until there appeared on the horizon my specialty – a downhill. I zoomed (ok, slightly zoomed) ahead of Aaron and Josh, who I am sure were trying their hardest to catch me. Fortunately, the next rest stop was near, where I arrived not too out of breath.

It’s like golf – there are these occasional moments that keep us playing the game.

Then there was today – I was in first place all the way, surpassing my previous record of 49.87 mph, and I wasn’t even going downhill! And no flat tires, for a change... If you are not a cyclist, you are probably impressed. You cyclists have already guessed it was my turn to drive the truck! So I was out of the loop as to the actually riding. But it gave me a chance to make route changes on the fly (we use sidewalk chalk on the pavement). And to scout out a Donut and Gourmet Coffee shop for our only SAG stop of our short 40-mile day.

In fact, everyone finished so early that we made a quick stop at the Denton Bike Shop, where they tightened the headset on Katherine’s bike for free, and recommended Ruby’s Diner about a mile down the road. We quickly found Ruby’s and all ordered breakfast (at noon). We managed to get lost on the way to the First Baptist Church (some more lost than others), but soon settled in, showered, and did some laundry with plenty of time left for most of us to drive to yet another bike shop in Lewisville some 15 miles away.

On the return trip we stopped at a Super Target (who knew there was such a thing?) for some shopping, after a quick detour to Sonic Burger for half-price “Happy Hour” drinks (please don’t tell Aaron and Nathan, who were still doing laundry at this point).

Then came the phone call that changed everything – Bill and Helen, friends of Chris’s family, invited us all out for TEXAS BARBEQUE! We drove to Ruby’s Country Store and BBQ, where the plates are a sheet of waxed paper, silverware is plastic, bottled drinks are on ice in a trough and you order the meat by the pound! Let’s just say there were no leftovers. Yet we all made room for chocolate or banana pudding. Thanks Bill and Helen!

We get to sleep in a bit tomorrow, since we start our 85-mile ride to Terrell at 8am, in order to accommodate 10 guest riders from the Dallas Baptist University’s Fuller Center Student Builder group. Looks like tomorrow will be back to serious biking for all of us. But today seemed more about eating. Mmmm.

PS Nate asked that we post our State-Line-crossing theme song. Here it is (to the tune of "Rocky”):

Here we come, there we go.
Some ride fast, some ride slow.
But the job is getting done,
And we’re having lots and lots of fun!

Here we come, there we go.
SIX states down, FIVE to go.
We are bikers, builders, too.
Let us stop and build a house with you.

Fuller Center – Bike Adventure! (3 times)

OYEE!

Tony "the Tiger"

Age 61