Ride with the Champions Follow Up

Yesterday was the Ride with the Champions, supporting the Special Olympics of Massachusetts. First off, thank you very much to everyone who sponsored me on my ride! My team, the Keith Crusaders, was the top fund raising team for the event, thanks to leader Doug, who single handedly raised almost a third of the total money for the event. Here he is speaking at the awards ceremony. Way to go, Doug!

Thankfully, the predicted rain held off and we were treated to a sunny day as we biked through scenic areas of the north shore. The ride took us through 7 towns. Starting at the Topsfield Fairgrounds, we rode through Wenham, Hamilton, Beverly, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Essex, Ipswich and back to Topsfield.

One of the most beautiful parts of the ride was out to Little Neck in Ipswich. I didn't stop to take too many pictures since this was a group ride and I wanted to keep up, but I did manage these two by the Ipswich Salt Marsh. Quite the view, wouldn't you say?
I was one of only about 35 other riders on the 65 mile course. (About 60 more did either the 20 or 12 mile course.) I lost my team in the first few miles and riders grew few and far between as the course progressed. I was able to catch up to a fellow rider named Fred around mile 12, who rides in support of his niece who has Down's Syndrome. We chatted and took turns leading for the next 28 miles. He helped me with my pace and even prevented me from taking two wrong turns as I zoned out during my time up front, which I'm sure would have resulted in many extra miles. Thanks for keeping me on course, Fred!

Doug and I agreed that the course was quite hilly, so even though I was slower than my last metric century, I was pleased with my performance. I rode 65 miles in 4 hours and 15 minutes. Average speed for the ride: 15.1 mph (my first 25 I averaged over 16 mph.) This ride was excellent training for my century, which happens in less than 6 days!

I enjoyed many of the roads and beautiful scenery during the ride and hope to get out in the same area soon. This was a great ride for a great cause and I hope to do again next year. Thank you again to those who sponsored me for the Special Olympics!