2007 Ride for Research

I just did the Brain Tumor Society's Ride for Research outside of Boston today. It was a 50 miler that shouldn't have been too big a deal (see route and info here: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2779411#) - outside of the fact that I haven't been riding too much lately and the teams that participate push the pack pretty hard - but it POURED during the ride. Constant rain. At times, a downpour made things slow and difficult.

Aside from not being able to see though my glasses on and off, I never had a clue if deep, jagged potholes lurked below the puddles that we had to ride through. Riding in the rain is one thing, getting a bent rim 25 miles from the finish is another. Thankfully, I only once had a problem with the condition of the road. While I almost fell, there was no damage - at least that I could see during the ride. Drafting was also no fun with dirt sprayed on my face constantly. I pulled most of the time - it was just more comfortable.

It's a nice route and major crossings were well controlled by local police who did a terrific job (read: in favor of the cyclists). Not much elevation, but enough varied terrain to keep it from getting boring. Unfortunately, they ran this event on the same day as another good West of Boston charity ride - The Ride for ALS. Oh well, you can only do one at a time . . .