Day 27: Stormy Morning

July 2, 2022 in Newton, Kansas

We awoke this morning to some pretty intense thunderstorms. As I may have mentioned, Bike and Build goes by swimming rules, so every time we see thunder or lightning, we have to get off the road for 30 minutes.

That was both good and bad. Good because almost everyone slept for another 3 hours. Bad because it meant getting on the road a bit later than is ideal, and because I was sweep (taking up the rear with a spare tire and a first-aid kit, I didn't start rolling until about 9:30.

Once I was on the road though, I learned something very important about myself. I LOVE riding in the rain.

It was so much fun to be zipping through the puddles and getting soaking wet. I did end up having a puddle in my left shoe which I had to literally dump out, but beyond that, I wish it rained all day!

I'd never ridden with Alyssa, the other person assigned sweep, mostly because she likes to zip on to the host and I like to take my sweet time. She was in front for the first half of the ride, and then we switched because I was starting to drag.

The last 15 or so miles of the ride were really difficult, as riding with wet shorts makes for some pretty uncomfortable saddle sores. We did make it though, and went with a group to a local rec center for showers–– the nicest ones yet!

The host provided sloppy joes for dinner, which I am growing to appreciate more now that I have them twice a week. Once we'd finished, Zoe, Ali and I rode our bikes a mile to a local fast-pitch softball game, which we learned was the 75th anniversary of the oldest Mexican-American fast-pitch softball tournament in the country!

It was quite an ordeal–– a full house with food trucks, fans in merch, and games going until 4am! We only stayed for about 45 minutes though, because we had an ice cream delivery on the way.

Arden, my Uncle Paul's best friend Bill's brother, brought the whole team sundae ingredients from a local store! Everyone was thrilled and we stuffed our faces (some of us with 2 or 3 sundaes). It felt like a special reward for fighting through a tricky ride!

Going into tomorrow, I am super concerned about my saddle sores. Gross, but true. I am in desperate need of a new seat, and I suspect it'll be too painful to fight through somewhere around the middle of the ride.

As of right now, I plan to get some good sleep and see how I (and my butt) feel in the morning, and do my best from here!