ALC 6 Day 2

The Cycle Gods of the Tailwind were smiling on us today and we are so grateful for it. Well, at least I am. 105 miles was the total as our longest day on the ride. Had there been no wind it could have ended up as a very long day. Fortunately, we had this awesome tailwind for a majority of the ride today. There was a brief cross wind that was not fun, but as soon as we turned right the strongest tailwind of the day pushed us into camp.

Five in the morning comes quick. Especially when a tent needs to be dismantled and put away with all of your luggage which then need to be brought to the gear truck. The fact that the rest of the camp had to do this was very helpful when it came time to step off. Instead of a hoard of bikers leaving at once, a steady stream of us trickled through the starting area making it much easier to find our pace early on.

The morning started off a bit cold of course, but once we broke through the hills and into the Salinas Valley the sun came out and the skies seemed to instantly clear. What a beautiful place to bike through. Miles and miles of fields which contained who knows what kind of vegetable. This actually turned into a bit of a game for my partner and I who tried to guess what it was that was in the field next to us at any given time. We could only recognize fennel, carrots, lettuce, and artichokes. I have to admit that we cheated a bit on the last one as this field was located next to the unofficial fried artichoke stand. Pretty good for a fried vegetable.

The highlight of the ride for me was seeing the “Cookie Lady” who has been baking homemade cookies for a number of years now to feed all of the riders. She spent her time churning out about 3,000 cookies for us. By hand! Once again I ask, “Who are these people coming from who knows where to do these great things expecting nothing in return.” Those who have little faith in humanity any longer need to do this ride. It has certainly changed my outlook of the world and it has been only two days.

The one event I did not partake in was the skinny-dipping under the green bridge around mile 80 or so. It did look inviting, but the thought of climbing the hill that waited for us after jumping in a cold stream kept me from it.

All in all today was another fantastic day on the road. The only things that may be missing are my family and friends who are not here. They would love it and I cannot wait to pester them until they say, “Fine, I’ll do it just to shut you up.” That’s what happened to me and look, I have been converted.

194 Miles on the Road.