Two weeks ago (yes, two weeks), I participated in my first Tour de Cure ride. I chose the 33 mile ride, from Reston out to Boradlands and back. I was worried I wouldn't be able to complete the ride, I had only been on my bike twice so far this year, racking up a pathetic 15 miles.
Miriam and Mason dropped me off at the Town Center around 8:00 in the morning, where I met up with Chris, Sabrina and Frederick. I thought we had to wait for the official start at 9:30, but Chris and Sabrina new better from their ride last year, so we started right away to beat the heat.
The ride started on the streets of Reston and Herndon. We were in a pretty big pack of riders, and traffic was light, so the ride was nice. We picked up the bike trail which took us through Sterling. I probably hadn't been on this part of the trail since we moved from Sterling Park in 2006, so it was nice to see the old sites, and hit the two great big dips.
We stayed on the trail out to Claiborne Parkway, pausing at the official pit stop at Carolina Brothers BBQ. There were tons of free snacks, including fruit, PB&J sandwiches, Gatorade and all sorts of crazy energy snacks (but no brisket, oh well).
The ride through Broadlands was nice, but a bit disorienting. Again, traffic was light, but the path wound through residential rods a bit too much; I was always surprised by an upcoming turn. While it was a hot day, the breeze was nice so I never really felt the heat.
By the time we made it back to the bike trail, I was starting to feel tired. We had another snack, watched a two bike and one pedestrian pile up, and got back on the trail. Luckily there were no more roads, we took the trail all the way back to the Town Center. And, we made it just in time to be at the front of the line for cheese pizza from Ledo's.
So, it was a great ride, for a great cause. I met my fundraising goal of $200, thanks to donations from Deb, Ben, Brad, Bobby, Dallas, AOL and Craigslist. I am also very thankful for Jim, Marjorie and the rest of Team AOL. I am looking forward the ride next year!
If you'd like to further support diabetes research, please support Brad's ride for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
