Denton Turkey Roll

This last weekend was our last bike rally for the year; it was the Denton Turkey Roll. We haven't done many bike rallies this year but have thoroughly enjoyed the ones that we have participated in, with the Hotter N' Hell Hundred being our main one for the year and our first century ride. During the training for the HHH we had done a number of 50+ mile rides and one 75 mile ride along with all the training we were doing for the US Open triathlon, so we felt pretty prepared for the ride and as it turns out we fared pretty well in the end. So it would be reasonable to think that having done a century ride and now at the beginning of the training for a 70.3 that we would be able to hack a 75 mile ride at the drop of a hat, that is where you would be wrong my friend. Whatever endurance we had after the HHH has long gone the way of the Dodo. We started out strong and feeling good through the first 40-45 miles, the cold wasn't much of a factor after the first 10 miles and even wanted to shed layers a couple of times but then somewhere in there I got my first flat and so we got a little rest without having to show weakness and ask for one. Also around 45 miles we decided to take the optional 100K turn when it came because "Kati had to get to a baby shower", I swear that was the real reason. The 100K turn never showed it's ugly face and when we asked someone at one of the rest stations they knew nothing about it, it was all or nothing. So we continued on giving each other words of encouragement along the way until we reached our final destination.

There are two rather embarrassing things about this ride. The first one is that the HHH took Kati and I 5:30 of actual pedal time to complete, this 75 mile ride took us 5:08. Stop laughing! The first embarrassing thing I could handle accept except for the fact that we were doing this ride with my triathlon coach, who tried to talk me out of riding this distance this early in the training and who has done a number of Ironman races and has been on IR from running for the past three months so all he has been doing in cycling. Can you say skunked?