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The first 7 or 8 miles were relatively flat and on smooth asphalt, so the constant head wind was not a big a deal as we rode, talked, and wove between the other riders. After a while though the road changed to chip seal and was as rough as a graveled road. Then the hills started. It reminded me of the old Irish blessing, "May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back�, and with the wind in my face the rest was irrelevant. Besides, the road was rising to meet us a little too steep for my taste. |
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(click on pictures to see a larger version) |
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(Emmi) |
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(Cheryl taking a picture of us. Notice the short sleeves and shorts on Rod) |
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(A view down the road) |
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At mile 14 we pulled into our first SAG stop. No, I still don�t have a clue what SAG means. Susan and Emmi both pulled off their jackets as the sun was taking the edge off the morning cool. After a few cups of Gatorade and a double fist full of Fig Newtons we were rolling again. We only rolled about a hundred yards though before stopping for Emmi and Susan to both put their jackets back on. Yeah, it was still a tad cool, enough though our Yankee friends were riding in short sleeves and shorts. Oh, and for all my southern relatives, Yankee friends is not an oxymoron. |
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(Rod, Cheryl, Susan and Emmi) |
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The road was now just a slight constant grade and if it wasn�t for the wind it would not be too bad. We were still riding on the chip seal surface, up a grade with the wind in our faces, but it was the first day of spring and the Georgia farm land was really pretty. There were cows and horses grazing on emerald green pastures and the Bradford Pears were in full bloom. I was looking for anything to take my mind off all that pine pollen that was in the air causing my nose to run and my eyes to itch. Furthermore, with Susan�s rule that I had to stop the tandem and get off before I blew my nose, I was beginning to feel miserable. I�m telling you, that woman can be unbearable at times. When I thought I had sniffed about as much as I could stand we pulled into our next SAG stop.
More Gatorade and Fig Newtons were consumed and Susan and Emmi again decided to shed their jackets one more time. Of course Rod and Cheryl could not figure out how they could possibly be cold. We soon saddled up and took off again, and after riding 23 miles due west we finally made our first right turn. Then about two hundred yards later we stopped again for Susan to put on my light windbreaker that I had taken off at the first stop. The girl is thermally challenged.
At mile 25 we made another right turn and headed east. This was significant for two reasons. First we had been heading west all morning into the wind. Second we had been climbing most of the first 25 miles. We were now heading downhill with a tailwind, and the road was fresh asphalt! It looked like we finally had the �luck of the Irish�. It was somewhere around here that I saw the laws of physics completely violated. |
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