ahhh, no worries. there were riders before and after but no one that was really that close - and they all looked really strong on the bike - which says a lot about how strong V is as well. And as expected, mostly men but a few women. I also saw a few tandems.

I agree it certainly helps if you have someone to ride with or at least hang behind to help set your pace. It wasn't very windy at the time and I didn't ask about Mt. Diablo. (I'm actually surprised she stopped). But she was in good spirits and in good shape for the upcoming challenges

side note: seeing all those riders out there got me very excited about wine country (even though I'm not ready with it only being 1 week away!). I'm *thinking* about doing the 200K for Marin (??) - should be ready by then....