My police escort into Sparta, Illinois.
I finished the 400km brevet last weekend. It was a challenge because I have been slacking off bigtime the past few weeks. But temp's were mild and the wind only a minor annoyance. I rode the first 80 miles with my new friend Stephen (Stephen the Younger because he reminds of trail-running legend Stephen Reynolds). I enjoyed visiting with Stephen while we worked our way Okawville.
After a snack I headed out into the great unknown. Though I wasn't breaking any speed records, I did arrive in Pickneyville (mile 130) feeling much better than last year. Even the later miles - fueled by McDonald's - went pretty well.
At mile 177 I caught up with John and Ralph and we surged (crawled) north. They catnapped at mile 216 but I headed north because I was freezing and it wasn't getting any warmer as Saturday turned into Sunday morning. At mile 240, I finally bonked, but good, so the last few miles were awful. But I didn't crash my bike or lose my lunch and I finished in 21:41. Now the 600km will be a piece of cake because I have paid my suffering dues.
