Hartwell, GA to Norcross, GA

Photo of the Day: Mile 24

Don't let the photo deceive you - it was actually a wonderful day on the bike! The day began at 5:30 when we packed our bags and fueled up with an amazing breakfast provided by Holy Cross Lutheran Church.

 Da Spread.

Bonnie, our main coordinator at Holy Cross, and her daughter, Savannah (a future Bike and Builder!), then saw us off in the morning through a small bought of tears. I rode "Sweep" today with Elaina, riding in the back of the pack and ensuring the entire team arrives at our destination safely. Although this duty is typically not assigned to leaders, one of the riders assigned to the Sweep team, Rachel, was having knee pain, so I took over for her while she rested up in the van. Though Elaina and I planned on buying water guns to encourage our sweaty teammates onward, the purchase slipped our minds until it was too late! Next time.

Refueling.

Elaina is a wonderful lady from Chicago. She knows a lot about bugs and trees and birds, which is awesome, and didn't mind my making up cycling-themed songs as we were riding (mostly to the tune of legend Rebbceca Black), which is good for her sanity, anyway. She was also privy to the lovely sight of my rear end when my chamois suddenly decided to rip in an inopportune location. Another of our many adventures included hay bale jumping, along with the ever animated Sarah Curry.

Awkward.

Sarah and I.

We had HOT, CLEAN showers at the local Y upon arriving at our destination, a major treat. We then shuttled down to the adorable downtown area for a catered dinner of fajitas, which hit the spot (I was too ravenous to even snap a pic, if that tells you anything). My evening has been fairly uneventful -- mostly just taking care of logistics for upcoming hosts, meals, and cue sheets -- but lovely nonetheless. Always a treat to hang out with these wonderful folks. (:

I'm particularly swamped with work these days, what with working to keep this team a'truckin' and also applying for post Bike & Build employment (!!), but I do plan on revisiting the first week's adventures (as promised) here in a few days. For now, I'll simply live in the moment!

Ride On,

Lace

P.S. I've updated photos and videos for Orientation & Monck's Corner (the first ride day)! Revisit the blog here:  http://lacycrosscountry.blogspot.com/2013/05/whoa-not-great-start-onupdating-blog.html