302 miles of joy, pain, excitement, anger, euphoria, frustration, and faith...3 days on two wheels...God...is...AMAZING.
It WAS insanity. And maybe even a joke. But you have to watch who you're joking around - someone just might take you seriously.
That's how I and six others ended up riding across southern MN...on bikes. 302 miles worth of MN. In three days.
When we started training...I wondered if we'd ever make it...or at least wondered if I'd make it. 10 miles was a struggle...hills seemed impossible at times. But then it got a little easier, and then we went a little farther...but still, even a 40 mile ride is nothing compared to 300. There was really no way to know if our bodies could handle it.
We watched the weather every day, constantly checking with one another...wondering what we'd have those three days. First it was rainy. Then sunny. Then windy...or stormy. By the day before, we were still looking at a cold and rainy first day, and chances of thunderstorms the second two. And, we'd originally planned on riding west to east. The wind was supposed to be strong. And...out of the east southeast.
So, we adapted. Our starting point shifted from the South Dakota border to Spring Valley - so that we could ride with the wind the first two days, each 100+ miles. We would go from Spring Valley to Fairmont, from Fairmont to the South Dakota border, and then from Spring Valley to La Crosse, Wisconsin. We'd still cover the whole span, just not all in the same direction.
We loaded up gear and bikes on Thursday night, and met at 6:30 on Friday morning to leave for our starting point. It was chilly, but not unbearable, and though it had rained a bit the night before, it was holding off for the morning. We got loaded, took off, and found an intersection to start at. Air pressure was checked, helmets and riding gloves put on, energy bars stashed in pockets, water bottles filled. And off we went...up a hill for starters.
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