Back from the slight detour of the roof crisis...
On day two, we got up and put our junk together as best we could considering the early hour, I was lamenting forgetting my sunblock. Oops!
We grabbed a quick breakfast at the event tent-city up the beach at the pier where we had dinner the night before...some store bought bagels and cold breakfast was made from egg and cheese and some indescribably disgusting pepper type things. Kicked off the tour at about 7:15 or so, and handled the first leg, along A1A north up the coast toward Ponte Vedra. There were two stops on the A1A leg, and we took them both, quick stretching and a Gu pack at the first, to get the juices going, and then a Rita's frozen Ice and a pack of orange flavored Shot Bloks and a banana at the second. I was determined to behave myself and not get over taxed on the second day. You always feel pretty good when you start out on day 2, but your reserves are noticeably depleted and I didn't want to blow myself up before I knew I had the day in the bag.
Good thing too...because after the second stop, we turned due west toward Nocatee, and plowed straight into a 15 knot headwind that depleted our pace and wiped out our average speed for the day. The headwind was with us for about 15-20 miles on and off, depending on the wind shadow provided by the tree cover...which because of the Nocatee foolishness (SPRAWL!) was nil! Finally heading north again on San Jose over Julington Creek, and then through Mandarin on Mandarin Road and Scott Mill, we were getting close and we knew it. After taking our lives into our hands negotiating the intersection of Beauclerc and San Jose (where there was NO traffic management! WTF!!!), both of us wanted off the bike. So when we cleared the light at Baymeadows, I cranked up the pace to 21 or so...wind be damned, and hauled us in to Bolles for the closing BBQ lunch. Travis had pulled my lazy butt around the day's course more than was his fair share, so it was the least I could do! Another 4.5 hours or so for the day, although the wind had conspired to wipe out our average speed (we only managed about 18 and change...maybe a little less). It was a good tour, and I'll consider doing it again, but it wasn't quite the spectacle that the MS150 is. 500 or so riders on this event vs the 2500 or so at the 07 MS150.
The only bad news I heard of from the event was of a poor guy who got clipped by a landscaping trailer, and he was sent to the hospital for some minor repairs. His bike was not so lucky, as his Specialized Tarmac was snapped in half just behind the seat tube. Shame too, as it was a pretty bike. Oh well. Life is like a box of chocolates....or some such stupidity.
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