When we first arrived in Seattle, everyone was a little awkward with one another, but that is to be expected. But that awkward stage didn't last very long, as we all began to get very comfortable with one another very quickly. We all arrived on Thursday, and enjoyed dinner together, and ice cream, and shared some awkward stories to quickly break the ice. On Friday, we did more logistical training stuff, and went for our first training ride as a team...kind of. Three of us were out ahead of the rest of the team, due to the fact that they got caught at a red light, but we in front didn't realize it, so we kept going. The group behind, got lost relatively soon into the ride, and were behind the rest of the way, but it was fun nonetheless to be back in the saddle for a bit. On Saturday, it was our last training day, and first time prepping like it was an actual tour day...which meant "spandex before breakfast". We were all up and in spandex before 7 am. We then had our last training sessions and then headed off on our last training ride to Seattle. 33 miles, and one MASSIVE hill later, we were finally at our destination, and able to eat lunch, which we all enjoyed thoroughly.
Sunday was our first real day of tour. After two church services Sunday morning at the church that had be hosting us that weekend, we took off from the parking lot, and headed to our first destination. It was a short 35 mile ride, but it was gorgeous weather...something we have not had a lot of since. Monday was a nasty day. It was cloudy and rainy for most of the day, and included our first major climb of tour, Stevens Pass...40 miles into our 83 mile ride. We also had our first, and hopefully last, wreck of tour. A girl hit a pothole and supermaned her handlebars, hitting her face on the pavement, chipping a tooth, and knocking one loose.
Since Monday, we have not had decent weather at all. It's been wet, and cold, and miserable for 98% percent of the days. This past Saturday was hands down the worst day of all. It poured the entire day, and it was only in the 40s, so we were all miserable. We also had another major climb, Thompson Pass, Idaho. The few of us that were still riding our bikes, as some had opted to shuttle the rest of the way due to the miserable weather, were about 2/3's of the way up the mountain when we saw the support van coming down...turns out that at the top of the mountain, it was bitterly cold, and super foggy, totally not safe to ride in. So we all got shuttled the rest of the way to our destination.
Sunday was a much needed off day... We went to church, and then had time to explore the town we were in, and clean our bikes...which desperately needed it after 4 or 5 days of riding in the rain. The weather held out long enough for us to enjoy the day a little bit, but the rain eventually did come, and we were back to the wet, rainy weather we've come so used too.
Today, Friday, was the first day of riding in the sun, and warmth in over a week, and it felt amazing. It felt awesome to be hot, instead of cold and miserable.
Thank You guys so much for all your prayers! Me and my team definitely appreciate it, as we've had some awful days, but knowing that there are people out there praying for us daily, has made a HUGE difference.
With the wind,
Mark
