RainStorm day one

Familiarity breeds comfort.  Since I had ridden in Ohio on Saturday, I checked into the hotel in  Richmond on Saturday and chilled while the riders and expectations for RainStrom began arriving and welling.  When I travel, the familiar is comforting.  I enjoy the new and exciting, but once in a while a touch of familiar is pacifying.  I sam looking forward to RainStorm.  I barely completed it last year and feel much better prepared.  Without being obsessive about it, I plan to "ride every mile," including the out and back to the Shoals on day three.

RainStorm warmup

On Saturday July 9th I rode the Land of Legends Tour in Licking County, Ohio, east of Columbus as a warm-up for RainStorm and because I had never ridden in Ohio before.  It promised to be a warm sunny Saturday when I started at 7:30, and indeed it turned out that way.  In fact it warmed up to the 90's in the afternoon.  Not a lot of shade.  The early part of the route had some significant hills.  A good warm up for Storm.  We started out on bike paths and when we turned north, found the hills.  Some double digits grades reminded me of what I had signed on for with Storm.  But they went well.  About half way through the ride the hills moderated and it became just another pleasant Saturday on the bike

Then the sun came out.  It was hot.  Then at the last rest stop, about mile 80 with the temperature rising to the mid-nineties, I was told that the remainder of the route was downhill and on a canopied bike trail.  When have I ever heard anything like that before?  "No, its really true."  If you do enough rides, you learn a healthy skepticism of statements like that.  I pushed off for the final leg of the ride.  Soon I was on a paved, tree-shaded bike path going downhill at 19 mph.  Sometimes the truth is a really pleasant reflection of reality. 

I was cruising along, feeling great and reached down for my waterbottle.  Suddenly I was off the path, struggling to stay upright in the large stones next to the path and trying to avoid falling off the grade into the dense trees.  I pulled the handlebar and the bike was back on the path veering wildly and then back into the stones , and back onto the path again.  I finally slowed, and holding onto the handlebar securely with one hand, removed the waterbottle from my clenched teeth and took a drink.  I replaced the waterbottle carefully and allowed myself to catch my breath.  Breathe, I said, almost aloud.  Because of the shade I hadn't seen where a root had forced up the pavement of the path and caused me to loose control.  Or nearly so.  I just wondered what a separated shoulder or so would have done to the rest of my summer cycling plans. 

I enjoyed the remainder of the ride with my hands firmly on the handlebar.  It was a really nice route.  And I am ready...for RainStorm.