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September 14, 2009

And so it begins.

Woke up this morning to turn on my email away message and then stuff my jersey full of assorted gels and bars, each a stinging reminder of Ironman days. Minutes later, I rolled my bike outside (oh yeah, it sleeps with me), to smell the unmistakable peace of the morning's ocean. Bikestartocean

The 16 of us making this trip together posed for a photo on the beach. I took part in the traditional ceremony of "dipping your wheels" into the tide's wash.  Then we were off. The goal? Ventura, CA a mere 76 miles away. We pedaled South along the beach for a while, glassy rights distracting me along the way. Soon enough, we turned left up into a farm belt, rolling past orchards of oranges and fields of ripe pepper harvests.Picture 7

Our group has a handful of very strong riders and I was impressed by how hard some of them charged it today.  You know me, I couldn't back off either so we took some turns pulling off the front and cranking 23-28 MPH. The route was well chosen and, at that pace, we were done quickly, allowing me to watch my beloved Buffalo Bills back in the hotel.

Fingers crossed that Advil works it magic and I find strong legs again with me tomorrow. But, for now, I couldn't be happier about how we kicked off this adventure.

Comments

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Good luck on your ride! I'm glad you had a great start! Hopefully it gets no worse for you and your travel companions! May the wind be at your back and the road rise up to meet you (or something like that)!

Bike on!

Posted by: Christine | September 14, 2009 at 05:54 PM

LiveStrong and remember, Advil IS magic.
Congratulations on this incredible undertaking. Will look forward to reading about your tip.

Posted by: twitter.com/jodyms | September 14, 2009 at 05:59 PM

Good on ya Chris. Looking forward to more end of day reports.

Posted by: BWJones | September 14, 2009 at 06:40 PM

The comments to this entry are closed.

Thanks to...

  • Hincapie Sportswear
    Legendary cyclist George Hincapie and his brother Rich made so many amazing original kits for my journey including the first ever charity:water and Twitter jerseys! Stay tuned as I give you a chance to get your own.
  • Trek Bikes
    After years of riding Felt, and following some serious ball-busting from Lance, I finally gave in and bought a Trek Madone 6.9. Holy cow is this a hot bike. That said, I broke it in a freak occurrence and, I am glad to say, Trek stood by their equipment and I am back on my ride, good as new.
  • Trek Travel
    Without the love and support of the Trek Travel guides, I would still be trying to find my way out of Santa Barbara. This company is top-notch and only staffs trips with the most experienced and consistently friendly people. I feel lucky to be traveling with them.
  • Spotify
    No music service in the world comes close to what Spotify delivers. Viritually every song imaginable whenever you want to hear it. Uniquely awesome. (And, they are big helpers of charity:water!) The service is coming to the US soon so keep your eyes peeled.
  • Twitter
    Twitter is changing the world, and I feel lucky every day to be a part of this community. Thanks to all of you and to my friends who bust their asses to keep bringing it to the world.
  • charity:water
    1 billion people on the planet don't have access to clean water. This is the best way to help fix that.
  • Architecture for Humanity
    No one does more to house poor people impacted by disaster. A true inspiration.
  • LIVESTRONG
    Lance Armstrong is a friend, a mentor, and is a testament to sheer will and work ethic. He is a big reason I am out here. Plus, he's declared war on cancer. Let's help him.
  • Free Press
    A non-partisan group working their asses off to ensure fair media and universal access to communication. I love these guys.
  • RoadID
    A bracelet containing your contact and health personal information that can speak when you can't speak for yourself.