End of the ride

Originally uploaded by Rehan Nasir.

This was the end of the 150 miles over two days ... the first day ended at Allegheny college in Meadville, PA. The second at Conneaut State Park in Ohio on Lake Erie. If you look on the left, that's my team, the Wacky Wheelers, in red. I got hooked up with them through my former employer. I want to really thank everybody who donated and made this ride possible. It was a good time that was made more enjoyable by cool weather.

I heard that last year it was blistering out and three years ago it rained all weekend. On day one I was cramping up a lot because of not being that prepared and lack of hydration -- when it's cool out, you don't drink as much as you should. Day two was much better. I drank more, took it easy and spent more time letting my food digest.

Also, on the first day, I "spun" up the hills. That is, I put the bike into an easy gear, cranked up the cadence and slowly climbed. The day one hills were a little longer and steeper. On day two, I just attacked all the little hills. Stood up, pounded. I was also able to draft a lot more on day two and really save energy.

The bike that I bought just a few months ago was brilliant for the ride. Nice and smooth, no mechanical issues. Others were riding all sorts of different beasts -- much older frames, newer carbon jobs. Turns out it's how good you are, not the bike.