Day 39 Waco to Round Rock

Any day that ends with smiles is a good day. We had sunshine and a tail wind to boot. So no complaints.

The day started out with a route proposal from my friend Ron Neher.  The route  took us off the I-35 corridor in  Jarrell, Texas.  This sounded like a good idea but added about 20 miles to our 85 mile day. So we decided to start up about 20 miles South of Waco and added his segment.  This proved to be a good choice as it avoided the freeway exchanges in Waco and instead gave us some nice open roads at the end of our ride.

Despite the good weather and favorable winds, the first 50 miles were laborious. For one, we had a late start. Just as we were preparing to leave, I received multiple phone calls related to upcoming activities in Austin. There were also issues with the delivery of our new order of HAA jerseys. It was 10 am before we were rolling.

And then we faced so much concrete and construction activity.. Stop and go. Stop and go.  At one point we were forced on the freeway. Looking ahead I could see the shoulder went away. So we got off our bikes, crossed a field and rode instead on a closed road. No one complained so we continued riding around  "road closed" barriers which seemed to be in high fashion. It also became quite hot and Diana began to feel ill. She wisely decided to ride in the van for a few miles and save her energy for the promised open roads.

Riding on closed roads

Lunch time finally arrived and was pleasant and refreshing.

Applying sunscreen before facing the afternoon sun. Amy insists, no need to rub it in...

Diana and Amy having fun in fields with beautiful wild flowers

After lunch we reached the route portion Ron had recommended and it was simply great. Diana had hopped ahead of us when Rich and I stopped to help a stranded cyclists with a flat.  

So Rich and I were basically chasing the rabbit. 

All morning I had been riding slow and cautiously, afraid that something would break if I pushed hard. This had the opposite effect on me and I was feeling aches and pains all over. Rich, not being aware of my fears, started hammering. Like a happy puppy I found myself chasing his wheel. It felt great and brought some of the joy back in riding. 

Diana on the other hand was playing her own game and doing her best to keep us at bay, even though this was frustrating the camera crew and their attempts to get a drone filming us overtaking her. Their first attempt failed. The drone was up, Diana flew by, and Rich and I were still far away on the horizon, struggling to reach her. It took another shot to get it right.

It did us all good to have some fun. 

Closing in on hotel

It wasn't long after we arrived in Round Rock that we were greeted by our friends Ron and Chris Neher. They even brought some of the best electrolyte and energy replacements systems.  It was great to see them both. 

So in summary, a good day. Not too eventful but that was just what the doctor ordered.

Cheers, Dave