Stage 11 - Germantown

I don't think that I got a wink of sleep last night. I wish that my body would just accept what I'm doing to it and relax. My legs ached all night and they were stiff all morning.

I needed 54 miles today and just when I was about to give up my good Velocity friend, Barry called. I don't recall his exact words but, "are you ridin' or are you hidin'" sums up his sentiment.

I could't argue with 'The Boss' of the Wisconsin peloton so off we went northward in search of miles.

It was overcast and humid. A perfect recipe for dehydration. You're sweating profusely but you don't feel too hot because of the lack of sunshine. You forget to drink and then, Bam!, your head hurts.

Fortunately Barry and I kept an eye on each other and avoided disaster. By the way, don't patronize the BP filling station in Germantown. $1.49 for a bottle of Gatorade is the highest I've seen, by $0.30. Additionally, BP is about to rape the good people of Kazakhstan by forcing one-sided oil contracts on the Kazak government. Fargin sneaky bastages.

Riding with Barry is always a treat, but it's never an easy ride. As much as he can hurt you with his pace he makes up for it with his cycling wisdom. He's been riding and racing for 25 years and has learned a thing or two along the way. Like crinkling up your race number before pinning it on your jersy. It won't flap in the wind as much.

He also suggested that I use Tri-Flow as my chain lubricant. I'll give it a try.

We did 61 miles and averaged just under 20 mph. My heart rate averaged 145. I rode over 100 miles in the last 20 hours and my legs are feeling the effects. I'll double my stretching routine and maybe even whip out The Stick.

Looking at Barry's behind was the beautiful moment of the day. Whoa! Before you bi-curious readers get too excited, let me explain. I was hurting today and Barry knew it. In the headwind sections he pulled to the front to allow me to draft. Since Barry is such a smooth rider you can get your front wheel within an inch of his rear wheel and not worry about him making any sudden moves that could cause a crash. Tucked in this close reduces your effort up to 20%. Being this close also means that your field of view is filled with the behind of the person in front.

Being able to reduce your effort on the bike by 20% is definitely the most beautiful thing when you are suffering.

I also passed my good friend Annie on the road. I was a mile from home and only had the energy to exchange a wave and blow her a kiss. Bonus.