square_corners
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I was out at Cleburne for the 600k but I'm not Daniel Sanchez - I'm Daniel Schaaf (Square-Corners). Daniel Sanchez was doing the 200k on a road bike. Anyway, I noticed Bobcat377 (I've forgotten his name - will have to look it up - I think it's Bob). He was at the ride start and shortly after starting out, the group had launched itself away and Bob was nearby, so we chatted. It was a cold start - low 30s and until my legs and lungs warm up, I'm pretty slow. I was not the least bit worried that the group was pulling away - I knew I'd catch them by the time I reached Glen Rose. Bob and I rode together for about the first 15 miles or so. We talked about each other's cycling history and why we were were now on recumbents. I mentioned that if I got off ahead on a climb, I might just keep going. Shortly after, that is what happened. I got up a climb a little quicker, looked in the mirror and Bob wasn't closing the gap; looked ahead and there were more rollers in my immediate future. Decided it was time to go. My lungs were feeling pretty good by then so I picked up the pace and sailed along at a good clip. That final 28 miles to Glen Rose went by quickly and I enjoyed it. Those rollers are the fun ones. The ones after Glen Rose - not so much. Anyway, I arrived at the control at Glen Rose and there was the group. I was actually disappointed to be right about catching them, because I hated waiting in line at the store! By the time I reached Glen Rose, the temperature had finally climbed out of the 30s - it had been stuck on 30°, even, for quite some time - I was glad I'd been climbing for much of that part. After that I either rode with the group or ahead of them if I found their pace to be too slow. I mostly rode ahead to Bluffdale and after that it was more of a mix. But I took every downhill occasion to have fun, meaning I pulled around the group and let gravity take over! On the way back, we had headwind during daylight hours and Sharon was unable to keep up at times, so I'd wait for her and keep her pace. Back at Bluffdale, day turned to night and we rode in calm conditions. I was still enjoying the climbing, even the 10% climbs, and wasn't using the granny. None of the hills on the way back, including Lighthouse, Goat Neck or Power Bar hills gave me any trouble. However, Dinosaur did give me trouble - I was falling asleep and weaving drastically! We arrived back in Cleburne at 12:40AM with 226 miles. I had a 15.5 avg and 9850 ft of climbing. We had much more to do the next day. I literally collapsed onto the bed in a dead sleep. Morning came and we went out at 7:10AM, 10 min behind the group, to do the remaining 149 miles. We had a few miles of downhill to flat at the beginning of the 2nd day so it was fortunate the morning temp didn't get below 35° on Sunday. We caught the group at the first control but we left after them. I didn't care - we would gradually make up time on them and ride together. By the time we reached Maypearl, that is what happened. Our next stops were Lynn Creek Marina at Joe Poole Lake, Alvarado, Rio Vista, and finish. We rode with the group at times or when Sharon had trouble keeping up, I'd wait and ride with her. But we finished together at just after dark on Sunday. I had a 15.4 avg the second day with 4509 ft of climbing. That climbing is misleading, though. The climbing we encountered was tough, because of very aggressive chipseal and headwind. I might add that we were all a little tired on the second day - that contributed as well. The second day was definitely tougher than the numbers would indicate. I was very glad to be finished as my left foot was very sore from hotfoot and my left sacrum was very tender. This was another very challenging ride and I feel blessed that even when I'm not in the greatest shape, I'm still up to the challenge.
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