The words I typed in my first Prouty post from a few months ago, hoping for good weather, rang in my ears as we awoke to the sound of rain beating on the metal roof. We scarfed eggs, toast and fried tomato and I tied plastic bags on our bike seats in a vain attempt to keep them dry until our bottoms were upon them. Soon everything would be soaked.

We encountered 100 milers immediately after leaving the house. I was shocked to see them 20 or so miles in already at 6:15am. I thought we were getting an early start by planning to have our wheels on the road at 7am. The stream of soaked riders continued as we made our way south to the start. We took our spot at the start in the VIP lot and set about waiting for some folks we were meeting. While we were standing there in the rain my rear tire spontaneously started hissing. I had a spare tube and pump with me but I moved towards my car immediately to use the floor pump so I could fill a new tube quickly and accurately to the optimal PSI.

The new tube exploded in the tire on what was to be my last pump. I envisioned driving home without riding. That, the rain and the two ruined tubes…. I fought the urge to toss my stuff across the parking lot. More thankful now than ever to be in a lot so close to the start, I marched out to where Amy and our friends were and silently dug into her pouch for her spare tube – our last. They had heard the pop from the lot and I told everyone to go on without us. As I inflated the third tube it gave me a telltale squeak to let me know it was binding inside the tire (I ignored this on the first replacement) so I let out some air and re-inflated. No squeaks, but I closed one eye and gritted my teeth as I gave it the last few pumps. Success!

So we hit the road. The temperature was already into the low 70s but the rain was still chilly until our first climb. Then the strange sensation of knowing you’re sweating thanks to copious amounts of salty rain running down your face, filling your open mouth, but not being hot. I actually think I liked it. Certainly better than 100 degrees and humid as it had been all week. It did make it hard to tell when it was time to be thirsty though. It seems weird that I hadn’t experienced it before but as I’m fat and lazy I tend to avoid activities that might offend my delicate sensibilities if I have a choice.

Anyway, after the drama of the tubes and acclimating ourselves to the rain, it was a great ride. It was so much fun to be participating in an event with so many other people. We caught up with our friends at the second stop because we skipped the first, but there our routes diverged since they opted for a slightly shorter variation. So it was pretty much the two of us together, weaving in and out of the pack, having a great time. I have to say I’m really proud of Amy for doing so well. She got her bike just last year and I think together since then we’ve done only a handful of 20ish mile rides with one approaching 40 late in the season. Going out and doing 50 without much training or experience is tough, and she did it with greater ease than myself.

There was a point where we optimistically thought 100 miles would have been possible but by the time we crossed the finish it was clear that we lacked the training. My legs buckled shortly after we finished as we walked to the car. Maybe next year we can try for the 100.

Despite the buckling of the legs, I was surprised to rise this morning without stiffness or pain. I cleared the road grime from our bikes in the sun and did a lazy loop around the lake to limber up while Amy jogged. Then spent the afternoon in a chair in the backyard reading a book, cigar in hand. A nice quiet way to cap the weekend.

The weather prevented us from documenting it the way I would have liked but Amy took a few videos I’ll post up shortly. Maybe you can experience it yourself next year? I’d really like to form my own team but I’ll need more riders than just Amy and myself.