Mountain Bike Monday - Touring Richmond

On Saturday Dynamo and I participated in the Martin's Tour of Richmond 58 mile ride! And, what a gorgeous day it was for a ride!!



The route was nice and rolling. At times I thought maybe too much rolling! I know...hills are good training!



It can be a strange feeling to not know where exactly you are at any point. Sometimes that's how it is on these rides. The routes are often on back roads that are unfamiliar to non-locals, but it is still an excellent chance to see lots of roads and places we wouldn't normally run across! I saw a cool quilt shop, but have no idea where it was!



The aid stations were well stocked with lots of goodies. There were three along the 58 mile route. We hit #2 and #3!! The people were super friendly!!

The weather was just right. We were so comfortable, except for the wind. Seemed like we had a little to fight at times, but it wasn't too big of a deal!! I'll take a little wind over 90 degree weather!

We knew we were nearing the end when we saw the track in the distance!



And, they save the best for last! Everyone gets to take a lap around the Richmond International Raceway track!!





What a cool opportunity to get to be on the track!











We felt like little ants surrounded by everything!



Then, we exited the track and headed to the official finish!



Ta da!!



We did it! Together! Another ride! My 4th official 50+ mile ride! I can't believe how far I've come in just 5 years of riding! And, I wouldn't have been able to do it without the love, support, and encouragement of my Dynamo! He keeps me focused and moving (literally)! I'm so grateful that we have our health to be able to do these special events together! We are the best team! And, he always patiently rides my speed to get me through! He is such a gift!



And, we had to snap some pics at the "LOVE" sign at the entrance of the track! Super cool!



Thank you, Dynamo, for always being there for me! I'm a better me because of you!! I LOVE YOU!!

Mountain Bike Monday - Cap2Cap Half Century Recap

On Saturday we participated in the Cap2Cap 50 mile road ride! We had been reading about how much fun this ride is, so we decided to give it a try! It was a lot of fun and it was something we could do together. It wasn't a race, but instead a nice social ride to raise money for the Virginia Captial Trail Foundation.

Here, Dynamo is getting my bike ready for the ride. It's technically not my bike, but it was for the day. It is Dynamo's bike, the Soma Smoothie. This is a flat bar sport geometry road bike with cross tires.

Dynamo rode Kermit. I think he was one of only a few riders on a mountain bike, but it was good training for him. I still had to push myself to keep up with him at times!

The CSX train was stopped right at the parking area near the start. He blew the horn a couple of times just to say "hi."

And, here's the start line...

The scenery was nice and green. Lots of trees, houses, and farm fields...

And, there were 3 aid stations with bananas, trail mix, gummies, pb&j, and drinks. I tried to keep my stopping to a minimum. Even though it was a social ride, I didn't want to be out there all day.

And, the finish line was nice and festive! We ate some good bbq from Buz and Ned's (Dynamo's favorite), listened to music, and relaxed before heading home!

We finished together in about 3 hours and 42 minutes of actual ride time. Total time was 4 hours and 25 minutes counting stops! My first half century completed! And, for Dynamo, he has completed a century off-road and a half-century on road (on mountain bike) all within 7 days! What a machine he is!!