Day 27 - Sweet Tea

It's amazing what kinds of food items I ingest each day while riding. My typical breakfast is usually pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and a yogurt parfait. At the first rest stop I will eat 4-5 Fig Newtons, a small bag of Fritos, 2 Little Debbie's and a box of raisins all washed down with a Sweet Peak Tea. At the second rest stop I usually have applesauce, Oreos, almonds and a Peak Green Tea. The third rest stop is the one that gets me over the hump. Here I have a peanut butter sandwich, Oreos, Belvita Breakfast Cookies and a sweet tea. The point I'm trying to make is that when you're burning 6,000 calories you can eat and drink anything you want. However, the items I mentioned above give me the quick carbs I need for quick energy and the salty snacks help with hydration. There are days I drink close to a gallon of sweet tea! I prefer the tea over Gatorade. I also costume dried fruits and trail mix. 

Today's ride out of Kerrville started in the rain. It was more of a drizzle than a steady rain but it was enough to be bothersome. Once out of Kerrville we encountered at short 17 percent climb that proved to be a challenge. We all made it up the grade huffing and puffing. From there we entered a rolling farm road that was "free range," which meant the cattle could wonder onto the road. Cattle grates intersected the road every few miles so the animals didn't wander onto other ranches. The farm roads are chipped roads and the one we traveled on today appeared to be a shade of yellow. We all began singing "Follow the Yellow Brick Road." Bob was speeding ahead of us and found out that the road to Oz was a little slick. As he rounded a turn his bike slipped out from under him and he received a nasty gash on his arm. Dr. Nick patched Bob up and he was good to go. The riders on this journey are tough. 

Other than the one steep hill we encountered earlier in the morning, the rest of the day consisted of rolling hills. Usually these rolling hills are not a problem, but today with the wind in our faces and the fact that many of us were suffering from dead legs from the strenuous day before, the ride was more difficult than we had hoped it would be. 

The best part of the 75 mile ride was seeing Cindy's smiling face as I pulled into the Methodist Church in Johnson City. Our friends from Texas, Denise and Randy were also there to greet the riders. The four of us went to a great restaurant where I had a substantial meal, meatloaf and mashed potatoes which I washed down with a tasty pale ale. I almost got a sweet tea but a gallon a day is my limit. Tomorrow a 55 mile ride to Austin where I'll spend two beautiful days with Cindy, can't wait!