SO today. Was long. 95 miles, to be exact. And though it is comforting to know that the worst is basically over and we’re into the last less-than-half part of our ride…today was mildly excruciating for Angie and me. It all started with us getting out of camp late due to longer breakfast lines than 
usual and three prior days of riding. The first miles were normal and rolling, and then after Rest Stop 1, the Evil Twins began. Angie and I have been wearing different matching signs on our backs for each day, and today was the Evil Twins themed day
. As we were climbing, one guy passed us, chuckled, and asked which one was the bigger bitch. I immediately raised my hand =)
The hills weren’t actually as horrible as they’re hyped up to be, and as we finished the top one, a guy in electric blue shorts shot by me, saying “I’ve always wanted to do twins!”
Then came the Halfway to L.A. sign, which was exciting because I actually managed to get my bike over my head this year for the picture.
After that it all kind of becomes a blur. My knee hurt for a bit, there was a point where a man kept jumping over a piece of tape on the pavement yelling “Northern California, Southern California” (he was marking the point in the route where we switched into SoCal), Angie and I spent a lot of time wishing we were already in camp, and my butt, which I am proud to say is in a LOT of pain, almost became unbearable. Almost.
Camp really brought most of today’s excitement – I’d brought some Tiger Balm on the ride on a whim, and Angie, Megan (our new friend, she’s fabulous!), and I tried it out on our knees. Wow. We used a little much. That stuff is amazingly strong. But my knees feel much much better.
We also did a little bit of Thai massage. Yes, you heard me, Thai massage. Cesan (SO could be spelling that wrong), another one of Angie and my newfound buddies, invited us to a stretching session that turned into a lesson on massage, Thai style. It was, in a word, wonderful. I won’t even try to describe Thai massage, but suffice to say, Angie made a lot of fun of me trying to stretch out/massage Mr. Cesan (he’s a good foot taller than me and, well, has real muscles).
Did anything else happen? Probably. These days are so long that the morning feels like a completely different day than the afternoon, which also separates itself from the evening.
That’s how it goes.
Tomorrow brings Day 5, red dresses (lingerie for me), and a long restful afternoon and evening in camp.
Maybe I’ll even write a coherent blog tomorrow!
P.S. Here’s what my helmet looks like. Blue and yellow ribbons to rep UCSB and the names are all my donors so they’re with me when I ride.
