I'll start off by showing you what the (almost) end result looks like--this is Eric and I at 103 miles and we still weren't done with the Tour de Palm Springs. My smile is probably bigger and cheesier than Eric's because I had a brake AND I could coast downhill--it's the difference between riding a road bike and a fixed gear. :) Life is so much easier when you can descend at 41.1 mph--I made sure Eric knew that each time I passed him going down a hill. Although, he did kick my butt UP the hills.
And this is the start, approximately 10,000 participants for this event. At 7:00 am, Eric and I were already 11.58 miles into our first century before we even got to the start. Why? Call me a dummy, a masochist, or just plain crazy, but I hate driving to rides and if I can avoid it, I will. Plus, why wouldn't I want to just ride a little bit more?
Ben, Oli, and Mai below. They are the kids that I started riding with almost exactly a year ago during a Specialized Demo Day ride out of Cynergy Cycles. It was our goal to do a century within a year's time since we picked up riding--mission accomplished. (We're all so brand loyal to Specialized, just saying: 4 helmets, an S-Works Amira, Ruby Expert, S-Works Tarmac?, a Quick Step jersey--list goes on...)
The view. There was a whole lot of nothingness for a really long time and I loved every second of it.
Eric on his fixed gear. And you call me crazy?
Another fixie kid! Eric and mystery kid had twin bikes too. I think it was a match made in heaven. Seriously. Same color frame (which is very unusual), same pursuit bars....
Eric at mile 80 in fetal position. We really just wanted to hop in that pool on the other side of the fence--it was 85 degrees. It doesn't even hit 85 degrees in West LA during the summer...
The "almost-done-happy-valentine's-day-kiss" between my favorite cycling couple, Olivia and Ben.
Mai and her boyfriend the bike, keeping it clean with no tongue. The bike doesn't hurt her--ever. We ♥ bikes--seriously. I think we were all a little delirious at this point too...
And the finish wouldn't be complete without some delicious beer.
Some shaved legs (Ben's first time--I'm still in shock he decided to sacrifice his hair for the sport), and some gnarly tan lines.
First time spandex tan for Eric. Hipsters usually forgo the spandex for some skinny jeans and he forgot to put sunblock on his legs.
What would a ride be without a post-ride food photo? The annihilation of the best pizza I've ever tasted. Mostly because I just sat on the saddle for the last 6.5 hours...
Final result for me: 108.45 miles. I turned back to the hotel from the 103 mark. The crazy part is Eric kept riding to the finish and had a 120? miles under his belt by the end of the day. I lost count. Either way, he pretty much showed everyone that riding a 100+ miles is easy on a fixie....
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