The best Sunday in June!

Sunday was the Sunday in June Ride put on by Cleveland Touring Club.

As it is one of the only events that are actually out in the boonies of my house, I had volunteered with the director of the Cleveland Touring Club to help out. Being that I lived out in the area, I helped out by checking out the course and making some route suggestions. You really realize the amount of planning that goes into these events when you help out...even as I only helped out on this one little piece of all the many other items that went in to this great event. Major props to Bill and Cleveland Touring Club for such a wonderfully run event!!!

Many of the roads had potholes or were gravel or currently under construction. So one evening my husband borrowed his dad's Harley to ride about 100 miles through the country roads. I sat on back with a map of tenative roads making notes and suggestions for the event coordinator. Now this ride is also known by its incognito name the “Horseshit Ramble”, so I was trying to carefully make sure I was keeping in theme with our ride characteristics all through Amish country! Then after the event coordinator nailed down the course I was to check out the 50 mile course and make sure everything was marked and looked good. So my hubby and I once again hoppped on our motorcycles and rode the 50 mile course. All looked good!

Sunday I awoke to 50 degree gorgeous morning. I thought about throwing on my arm warmers but figured I would warm up soon enough. A few of us from Cleveland Tri Club and a decent sized group from Shaker Cycling took off just before 7:30 AM. The first downhill was chilly!!

To back up, I have been so focused on running this year that I have not done much in the way of long rides. I did some inside on the trainer over the winter but my longest ride outside this year has probably only been around 30 miles. JT was in a strict taper so I was content to ride with her and catch up while we enjoyed the scenery.

The sun was quickly warming things up for this most beautiful day. I was excited to be back outside pedaling with friends! Just before 40 we stopped at a rest stop and I refilled my water bottle in my aerobars and grabbed a nutrigrain bar. YUM! They had lots of cookies but I refrained somehow! After regrouping we continued on. However after a bump and subsequent bottle launch, Jodi and I again dropped back behind the main group. We had looped around back to where some of the shorter routes were also riding and passed many people with ease. We regrouped as we made the final 10 mile push toward the end at a decent pace with the wind to our backs and made the final climb to the finish.

However the day was not over. JT needed a 4 hour day so we headed back out for another 35-40 minutes to finish with ~70+ miles on the day. Fortunately I had my running shoes, as she also needed to get in a 10 minute run outside afterwards, so I got the priviledge of running with her for her first outside run in some time!!! This dedicated chick is going to rock her ironman in two weeks and is just such an inspiration and great fun to train with!


For someone who has not rode more than 30 miles outside this year so far, this day went amazingly well. Perhaps it was the gorgeous day, the wonderful company or just the excitement of getting back out there for a long ride, but I felt fantastic the entire time. The only trouble area was in the girly seat area which training really cannot seem to help much with!!! So I am feeling totally re-energized with such a terrific ride!

I managed to replenish some of my calories burned over the rest of the day before hitting the hay crazy early from my tiring, yet fantastic weekend! Oh well, unfortunately I apparently did not miss much as I slept through the CAVS game. :-(

Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.
Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...
[thinks hard]
Bluto: the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go CAVS!