Sanderson to Del Rio, TX (111 miles!) 3/28/10

I DID IT!  111 miles!!  Yahoo!!!  And our group scored a record for Woman Tours...95% of the riders completed the entire ride!  (Only 1 person started at the 20 mile mark but she finished the rest!)

This part of Hwy 90 is full of hills - Carol said "rolling hills" but that sounds too gentle.  I think if we were told at the map meeting the night before about all the long and steep hills that were to come, we probably would have been too overwhelmed to finish this century ride.  As it was, however, our group spent the day encouraging each other, and we all did it!

Both Linda and Carol warned us to keep eating something and drink a water bottle's worth every 10 miles.  We dutifully did so, and along with tail wind part of the was, I think that was why we all made it!




Since there was no place to stop for lunch between the start and finish today, Linda and Carol  prepared a nice roadside lunch for us near the town of Langtry, TX.  While we were there, a man came out of the nearby convenience store with "Gus," his Great Dane.  Gus is a gentle soul, and enjoyed all the attention.  He was also well behaved...when his owner saw Gus sauntering toward the lunch tables, all he had to do was call his name, and he turned around.  Good dog.


Eighteen miles out of Langtry, we came to the 273 foot bridge across the Pecos River.  This river divides the eastern part of Texas from the rough and desolate West.  
The roads today were 90% chip and seal, and these were especially bumpy.  I could not see anything in my bike-mounted rear view mirror...it was so jiggly!  We would try to call out to each other, and our voices would vibrate!  If there was any problem with socks, shoes, or seats, it sure showed up today.
Fortunately, my sore knee was not too bad, even with the distance.  But many had problems with foot blisters because of the vibrations!  Mine showed up on my 4th toe!
Because Linda and Carol did lunch for us on the road today, pizza was ordered for dinner.

The ride tomorrow is only 43 miles!  Seems so short compared to today!  It is supposed to be relatively flat (whatever that means)...maybe compared to today's hills.  It will be a nice recovery ride after a day of 111 miles in any case.