Cap2Cap Recap!

Saturday started out early with us meeting our friends, Marioooocheeee and Elise, downtown Richmond at Rockett's Landing for the Cap2Cap ride! We chose the 50 mile option leaving from Richmond.



At the start we gathered towards the back. Remember...this ride was not a race, but instead a fundraiser and fun ride to raise money for the Capitol Trail (the 50 mile paved route from Richmond to Williamsburg).



At the start we ran into our friend, Missy (middle above)! Her husband, Jim, had already started his 100 mile ride earlier that morning!

We saw lots of familiar faces during the ride! We got a couple of pics in before the start! Here's Marioochee and Elise!



This was Elise's first big ride. She has worked so hard over the past few months getting ready. She did great! And, on a mountain bike too! What a rockstar!



Dynamo and I were ready to have a fun ride with friends! And, we sure did...



The route was nice and there were always people around. The weather turned out to be perfect! Just right!



Notice my over-the-shoulder pic captured a smile on Elise's face! What fun we had!!

The stops were fun with lots of chatting and refueling!



We finished up with less than 4 hours of ride time. It was such a great time and a great course! We were ready for beer and BBQ, the reward! But, we couldn't miss the opportunity to take a group pic in the awesome RVA logo!



Another one done! My third Cap2Cap! Who would've thought it! If you had asked me years ago if I'd be a biker, I would've said no. But, today I've done three 50 milers and one 59 miler (official rides)! I've come a long ways thanks to the encouragement of Dynamo!



Thanks to our friends for riding with us! It's always a better ride when you're with friends!

Mountain Bike Monday - Recapping the Cap2Cap

On Saturday, Dynamo and I ventured to the Chickahominy Riverfront Park near Williamsburg to participate in the Cap2Cap Ride. When we pulled up the field was full of riders looking to have a fun ride!



This was our 2nd year participating in the 50 mile ride.



Last year we chose our starting point from Richmond.



This year we decided to change the scenery and start from the Williamsburg side.You start and end in the same location, which is pretty cool. So, we took a chance and it worked out great! We met these two ladies that were parked next to us with a cool green Mazda! They asked us what our pace was going to be and asked if they could join us. They indicated we could ride in a pace line, which would make the ride a little easier.



We agreed, but told them we were not roadies and didn't know much about road riding, so they would have to excuse our lack of knowledge.



It was great to have them riding with us because we took turns "pulling." This means that every so often we switched leaders. The line just rotated up and that way everyone got the chance to do a little drafting. Just like Nascar! Tracy and Elizabeth were fantastic company. They were so friendly and helpful. We enjoyed riding with them, chatting, and enjoying the scenery! We happened upon a sod farm somewhere in Charles City County!



I was trying to snap pics behind me and ride at the same time (without falling off)!



We had stops, which were called "feed zones," every so often. We got to make a potty stop, relax a bit, snack some, and refuel!



It was great to have a "team" of riders! It made the day that much more fun!



Also, it's better to have more riders on the road for safety!



We got to ride a part of some of the already completed Charles City portion of the Capitol Trail, which was super nice!



We saw lots of cropland!



The ladies taught us lots of terminology and hand signals, which truly do help when you're riding on the road.





It was a great day for riding. These events are so much fun. It's not a race, but a chance to enjoy being out with other riders supporting a good cause, and getting some fresh air!



Eventually, when the Capital Trail is complete you will be able to ride from Richmond to Williamsburg! That's amazing! Think of the tourists that will come!



We kept a constant pace and enjoyed our day. As we neared the end of our ride we caught up with the ladies' husbands, who were finishing the 100 mile ride.



We all rode in together over the big bridge!







Then, we grabbed some lunch that was waiting for us. Buzz and Ned's BBQ! YUM! Dynamo gave me a smooch and thanked me for the ride! It was a "Good ride, hun!" kind of day! I was proud of myself! My second 50 miler ever! I've come a long ways in 2.5 years of riding. Maybe we can complete some more fun rides this summer together!

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!!