Did it!

The 28-mile bike ride wasn't so bad. Perfect weather for it, actually.

Here I am at the halfway point in White Heath where you turn around and take a different loop back to Mahomet. I look really happy. Once I got back on the road, though, I noticed that the wind was now in my face and we had to ride back up the 1000ft elevation drop we had experienced on the way out.

*SOB*

But we did it. Me and my biking buddy Janell. At the very end, we had this freakishly steep freeway overpass to climb, and I was huffing and puffing and my legs were killing me, and all I could think about was getting off and walking my bike the rest of the way up, but Janell was right behind me and I didn't want to appear weak, so I toughed it out. We both did.

At the top of the overpass, I turned back to her and said, "If you weren't here, I totally would have walked that thing."

"Yeah, me too!"

We laughed about it a bit and agreed that we were a pretty good match as far as biking skill and should get together again. Yay!

I've got the 52-miler on my calendar for next summer :) It takes you all the way out to Allerton Park in Monticello. I've wanted to see Allerton a long time. Maybe 15 years or so?