Mt Mitchell

I already wish I was back in North Carolina. I think the day we did this "mountain climb" was the day that put me over the edge. Several weeks later I'm still recovering from it, but it sure was fun.

Anytime you ride your bike for 4 hours, and almost 3 hours of it is straight climbing, you KNOW you're "mental". Thankfully Ben's wife Kerri was our sag vehicle. She checked in on us, brought us beverages and encouraged us to keep going. Talk about riding in style.

The ride DOWN Mt Mitchell was MOST excellent. Ben & I rode together and navigated around all the pot holes in the road. Going 40+ down twisty corners can be a little unnerving. Me being a better "desender" than many "girls" (or so I'm told) found great fun in whipping around the bends as fast as my wheels would take me. . . . .hoping to GOD I didn't encounter a hole, or an on-coming vehicle. Thankfully we all made it down safe and sound. Ben needed a little help. . . . .the "big boys" popped him on the ride UP the mountain. . . .but I took him under my wing and brought him home safely.

When I'm kicking it in gear up those short little climbs at Iola, I'll think back to that day. How much fun I had climbing a mountain on my road bike. I must be growing as an athlete. . . .because I wouldn't have been able to do that last year, at least not if I wanted to ride again within the week.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. . . . .and wind is my training partner. Two sayings to train by I guess.