Day 5 - Friday - 78 miles

Can you tell from my title that I am tired at the end of today? I was on sweep - refer back to previous blog if you don't know what sweep is - and did not leave the campsite until after 8 am. I intended to ride by myself for at least part of the day (Sandy decided to get me back and ditch me this morning). I realized I have done 90 % of my training biking alone and I missed that. I started out feeling tired in my quads but still kept a good pace at 16-17mph just because I find biking too slow actually feels harder to me. The landscape is getting hilly and beautiful - lots of horses today - even pet a palomino (Tom, do you remember what color that is? - I used to quiz him on horse colors and dog breeds as we drove along so he should know the answer.) I kept a slower pace but was ready if someone passed me to pick it up when they were in sight just so it wasn't so easy. Actually, the only people I saw for the first 25 miles were hanging out at the 3 hospitality stops along the way. I have learned to eat a little at a time, only choosing what I really love because there is always more a few miles down the road.

At lunch I met an Italian man who loves to bike but can't anymore because he is waiting 5 months to get a cat scan of his injured back and possible surgery. He told us how in Canada routine tests and even cancer biopsies can take longer than a year to happen because Canada has government run social health care. His friend is waiting a year for a test to see if a growth on his neck is cancer, his wife called him crying about it just the other day. Sure everyone gets treated if they live that long..... Good doctors and nurses flock to the U.S. to work because they have the incentive to make a good living. Those people with enough money just go to other countries anyway to get their test and surgeries. Sorry to those who think the U.S. should have universal health care is the answer but those living with it see the very big flaws and abuses of those who use it for piddly things because it is "free" (some genie in the sky pays for it, not tax dollars).

On another note, I forgot to mention that I rode yesterday with Rod Boerman from GR for a spell and was happy to chit chat with him about the pros and cons of getting a dog for his pet crazy 12 year old daughter. Myself having been in that same boat as a child, I informed him what a good age she is to have a pet and that the Yorkie kind of dog she wants is a good choice. If his daughter reading this, you have permission to use this information as ammunition in your pleas. Hopefully, this softens him to the idea, now you just have to work on your Mom.

Back to today, miles 25 -60 went great. In fact, I had so much energy I pulled the group at 18-19mph and was doing bunny hops in my seat out of glee to speed down one hill and attack the next. Unfortunately, this euphoria did not last the whole ride. The last 15 miles seemed like 30. I had used up my energy and we limped(we were all hurting - Sandy, Chris, John) into Redeemer College with me just on the fence of getting grumpy. Thankfully, when I informed Sandy of this she made a joke that sent me back over to the safe side of the fence. Better go, dinner is in 15 minutes.