Almost Here

The B2B is only two days away and I must admit I am a bit nervous. Possible rain in the forcast does not make me feel any better. On the positive side, we have a great group to ride with and I am sure that will make most of the 148 miles go by quickly. Last weekend was the last big ride before the B2B. I had my bike serviced earlier last week and they put on a new rear cassette and chain. The cassette (gears in the back) is a little smaller so I was nervous trying the climbs without my 'granny' gear. I headed out at 5:30 to meet up in Boxborough. Finally the weekend comes and I have to get up earlier than during the week. As Homer Simpson would say "Doh!". I got to Boxborough and everyone was ready to go. We headed out through Littleton, Ayer over to Rte 119. Rte 119 has to be one of the worst roads to ride on, but it is part of the B2B so it is good to see the terrain a few times. So far there weren't any big hills so I wasn't able to tell how the cassette was going to work. We rode through Groton and into Townsend. Once in Townsend we left 119 and headed up towards the hills and New Hampshire. This is where the serious climbing started and my cassette was awesome. I think these hills are as steep as anything on the B2B course so I was pretty excited. We looped up through NH and back to Ashby center. From there it was down to Fitchburg, and back home. In total it was an 82 mile day for me,averaging 17.5 mph. I was pretty satisfied and although I should have gotten more miles, I feel ready for Saturday. Saturday is a 3am wake up and a 4am departure from Boxborough. I am excited an anxious. As I get older, it is harder to 'test' myself. I think this will be a major test. I expect to be on my bike for about 8 hours with the whole trip (including breaks for food and bathroom) to take 9. I will have a camera so hopefully I have some good pictures of us enjoying a Harpoon!