I survived.

I've done Six Gap.  11,200 feet of climbing, 104 miles, eight hours of riding.

The drive up on Friday was long.  Around six hours.  Don't know if I'll sign up for another ride that is so far away from me.

Saturday morning, we checked ourselves in for the ride then checked out the bike expo.

We picked up a nifty tool for massaging muscles called "The Stick."

Then we watched the Six Gap Criterium.

Really fun to see these guys ride 28 mph around downtown Dahlonega.

After dinner, we headed to our campground and tried to get some sleep before the 5:45 a.m. wake-up call.

We woke up cold and tired (someone was playing loud music late into the night) but managed to throw our tent in the car and head to the start.

Around 4,000 people participated in the ride this year, so you can imagine how packed the start area was.  We hung back until the bulk of the crowd left, then we rolled out into the chilly morning air.  "Let the games begin" is what I remember saying to myself.

How did I feel during the ride?  Strong at first but tired after 70 miles.

The ride wasn't terrible.   The first climb (Neel's Gap) was great; I rode at 8-9mph the whole time.  By the fourth and hardest climb of the ride, I was feeling fatigued.  My computer read 3-4 mph for most of that climb.  

So many people around me were dismounting and walking up.  I made a promise to myself that I WOULD NOT do that.  Come on, it's only Georgia.  I had to think back to the amazing climbs I did in France and tell myself what a badass I am.  In all seriousness, the hills of northern Georgia make for really good climbing.  No disrespect.

At the 70-mile mark, I remember thinking to myself, "Hey, there's the SAG.  Man, it would be so nice to throw my bike and my body in the car and just drive back."  Well, I didn't.  I rode my slow behind all the way back to the finish and had a lot of spaghetti before starting the car ride back home.

How do I feel now?  I feel like I haven't slept properly since last Thursday.  All of that driving to and from Georgia combined with studying for tests has rendered me exhausted.  Yep.  Big black bags under these eyes.

Now I leave you with a cute picture of a cat riding a bicycle.  Ged gave me this kitty, which is now in my front yard.  Enjoy.

Goings on and guilt.

I'm currently buried in a pile of schoolwork and punctured bicycle tubes.

I'm riding the Six Gap Century in Georgia on Sunday and I'm a little worried.

You see, this is what my training has been like as of lately:

Pretty solid.  Yet, this week I'm lacking motivation.  My legs and arse still hurt after Sunday's ride.  I didn't ride yesterday and I'm not riding today, hence the guilt.  I still consider myself a rookie cyclist, so I don't know where to draw the line and let my body rest or push it a little harder.  For now, I'm resting.

I plan on riding tomorrow with a group.  We're doing two hours moderate with 4x10min rotation with 10 min. rest.  That's what the email said anyway...

This is the plan:

Wednesday:  moderate two hours
Thursday:  easy, short spin (to the massage place for a discount rubdown)
Friday:  Off/Driving to Georgia
Saturday:  easy spin
SUNDAY!:

(sponsored by my mommy and her company, http://www.northstarcorporatehousing.com/)

In other news, I got an incredible flat on my commuter bike yesterday.  I was riding home from school and could feel something sticking to my tire.  Well, I got home and saw this guy:

Oh, and I tried to go surfing when I last visited my family.  I didn't really catch any waves because they were so puny.

That's all, Folks.  Send me good vibes for the Six Gap.