Tour De Pink Ride Report

What a fun event!  Seriously, holding the event at Prairie View A&M was the best idea Pink Ribbons Project could have come up with...well, it's one of the best.  There were so many energetic and awesome student volunteers who danced and cheered for hours while riders came in from their 'tour'.  That was just one of the best parts.

Some other highlights:  The race course is beautiful!  Lots of rolling hills, but some really great almost-Texas Hill Country type stuff.  Plus, having the option to ride anywhere from 12-100 miles means that people of all ages and abilities can participate...which is so fun!

Also, the pit stops were super duper well stocked!  The volunteers had so much energy and were amazingly helpful with everything. 

Then there were the courteous riders of all abilities.  The non-stop cheering and chatter along the course made you want to keep going.  I couldn't wait to see what was coming up next!  Plus, survivors were easy to spot with their bright pink numbers.  I love survivors - LOVE them!!  They inspire me in so many ways to do more than I thought I could...so seeing them along the bike course made my heart leap with joy every time.

Now, here's what happened.  The team captain (Meredith) and I ride at about the same pace so we decided to do the 46 mile ride together.  Let me just preface this by saying, we ride at the same pace, but we do not read maps well - ha ha!  Sooo off we went on our 46 mile journey...directionless, but certain we could follow signs and other bike riders well enough.  Let me add that my GPS watch started late and Meredith's bike computer failed to turn on (despite her attempts)...so we were, how shall we say, doomed - LOL!  Okay so that's a little dramatic, but it ended up not quite the way we had hoped. 

 First, check out the awesome socks Meredith got us!  They made us super fast, in our heads at least!

We approach the first turn off and spotted our sign and appropriate arrow for the 46 mile ride.  Turn right.  Good, that was easy!  Here come the hills, and hills and hills...and wind, and storm clouds.  This is getting interesting and much more tiring than anticipated.  So somewhere near the second turn-off we decided to back our mileage down to the 34 mile ride.  I was planning on running about 7-10 miles afterward, so I figured a 34 mile ride would make the run a bit more plausible in the end...I was okay with the decision.  So the second turn-off appears and we locate the 34 mile arrow - and turn right again, again into another long set of rolling hills.  The scenery was really cool at this time, especially with the rain clouds rolling in.  A lot of flat plains made the view off in the distance kind of magical, plus the winds and clouds kept the ride nice and cool.  The hills were tough, but nothing a little descent on the other side couldn't cure.  We rode for about another 10 miles until we reached the next pit stop.  At the pit stop I looked at my GPS watch (that finally started working a few miles into the ride) and noticed it has only clocked about 18 miles.  "Funny?" I thought..."I guess it lost reception at some point due to the clouds". 

Here we are at the final pit stop!  Love the helmet-head look!

After a little snacky-snack and a water refill I head on down the road again.  About a mile down the road I hit a sign that says 'Finish 5 Miles Ahead'.  Wow!!  That has to be for another group because I still have at least 10 miles to go (given the GPS issues)....Right??  Nope, that WAS the finish - for everyone.  I crossed the line to tons of cheering, singing, and dancing students. A LOT of fun!!  I looked at my watch and it read 22 miles...what???  Well let's just say after some deliberation with the rest of the team, Meredith and I missed about 5 miles of the 34 mile route by following the 46 mile route at the first turn-off.  This is where map reading comes in handy, because had either of us studied the map beforehand we would have clearly seen the mistake (or would we??...My bets Meredith would be fine, but I'd be more lost than a whale in a sandstorm).  So my 46 miler turned into a 34 miler that accidentally turned into a 25ish miler (given my watch GPS and map-reading errors).  Oh well...it was worth it and still A LOT OF FUN!!!

I highly recommend the ride to anyone, of any ability!  There were all kinds of riders out there which really adds to the atmosphere and spirit of the day.  It is awesome and I can't wait to do it again next year!!  Go Team!!

Miles Earned:
Meredith Sharp - 25 miles
Lauri Mazeikas - 25 miles
Chris Sharp - 34 miles (clearly he can read a map)
Jason Colter - 34 miles (also a map reader!)