My ride was pretty . . . hmmmmmm fun, long, hard, thrilling and a huge personal accomplishment for me. First, I could not even believe I was one of the lucky ones picked to ride the RAMROD this year. Riders are chosen randomly by a lottery. And only 440 people were selected this year and thousands applied. So when I received my "Congratulations you made it" email I was shocked! I think unconsciously I was hoping I would not get picked. And foolish stupid me, I did not train properly for this ride. I finished by shear will power (I was hurting at the end) and I was among the last of the last. The last climb, the one going up Cayuse Pass, a snail could have passed me! If I ever do it again I now know that I need to train seriously. And if I ever decide to ride it again I want to do it with a partner or better yet a group. I think with a friend you can encourage one another. But yes, I really did enjoy it. My husband still does not believe me when I utter those words. He thinks I'm derranged and into abusing myself! The scenery was fantastic, the downhill parts phenominal, the day perfect weather wise, the support A+ and the volunteers and other riders great. Everyone that passed me (probably 435 lol) gave me encouragement. The only thing I did not like was NO real food! Lots of fruit and power bars and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. But man oh man, pedaling up and down three mountains for 12 hours they just weren't doing if for me! I wanted a hamburger sooooooo bad! Or a pizza, or a delicious sub sandwich!!!!! On the drive home I made my hubby stop at Wally's Drive In (local hamburger joint) and ordered a hamburger with cheese, onions, ketcup, pickles, lettuce and tomatoes on it, large onion rings, large vanilla shake and a coke, too! Man did it taste wonderful! It truly was a day I will always remember! And believe it or not I'm thinking about doing it again next year! But I hope to find a few friends as crazy as me who would like to ride it, too!