Congrats on that super time! Your training camp sounds grueling, but it did pay off. I clicked on your blog and was amazed to see all of your pictures of all of my familiar riding places! You are right; we take this beautiful area for granted and at times I even get bored with some of my local routes. But then I go ride somewhere else and I always come back and say how jaded we are.

I took my first road bike ride with a group (a very small group) to that spot at the top of Prospect Hill Rd. by the Fruitlands. This was only 7 miles from my old house, but I managed to drop my chain twice and fall over at the base of Madigan Rd. because I freaked out when i started climbing up the hill and I didn't shift. But after a lot of crying and some not so gentle encouragement from my husband, I made it up. Looking at your picture reminded me of how that was only 5 years ago!