We did a charity ride yesterday, which raises money for many children's agencies in Boston. My husband's company paid for the fundraising ($700), so that part was stress free. The weather was perfect, but it was cold at the start (47). I was wearing a midweight fleece lined jersey and my hoodie to start, tights, full finger gloves, and a headband. Oh and toe warmers, too. My husband and I were astounded to see more than half of the riders wearing nothing but shorts and a jersey. We keep thinking that we are wimps because we lived in AZ for so long. But, really, it was cold! My legs still felt dead from doing the century last Sunday. I guess I haven't rested enough. I realized that this was the first bigger charity ride I have done and I did not like having all of those people around. But everyone spread out quickly and they started us off in groups. At the first rest stop I took my hoodie and headband off, but it was still pretty cool out. We were going a really fast pace and i felt like a panting dog for most of the ride! It was flat, with a few small rollers near the end, which was too bad, since I really had to slow down for the last 5 miles. I admit that i was complaining for almost the whole ride.
The food was great afterward (ribs, bbq chicken, and beer) and the best thing was that we could take a shower at a health club that was on the start site.
Total, 52 miles, 3 hrs. 15 minutes, av. speed 16.