Heflin (AL) A True Test!

So this was the big day, 100 miles through the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains that spanned from outside the Metro Atlanta area all the way 15 miles into the border of Alabama. Would all the bikes survive? Would everyone's body be able to handle the heat and miles? Questions would be answered within the first 50 miles for me.

I accidentally biked off the road due to a lack of concentration, and fall when trying to get back on the road due to the lip. I managed to leave the crash with bumps and bruises but my helmet was ruined with some minor details to my bike. After some tender love and care for my bike during the 2 hours of waiting for the Support Van, it appeared that I could go on. After 15 miles, a bolt came lose and it seemed that the hanger just broke loose causing my chain to break off. Fortunately a kind Georgia Woman gave me a ride to the next lunch stop, where I could accept retiring for the day.

Our group did a great job other than some other injuries, and we mentioned to have 28 of the 31 riders for the day finish the route. Boy were they hungry but thank god that the United Methodist Church of Heflin had enough food for the whole High School Football Team. So we enjoyed our fried chicken, green beans, mashed, potatoes, salad, biscuits and before you knew it everyone was getting ready to sleep by 8:30 PM.

I stayed up a little to get extra work done which led to a great conversation with the Youth Minister of the church. He shared his story of his connection with God, and it was a great learning experience. As a Northerner, I continue to learn more and more about the connection that the Southern Community has with their churches. M

My bike is temporarily repaired for our 87 mile ride tomorrow into Birmingham. I simply have to manually change my gears if I want to go in the 1st or 3rd Ring but my back Cassette (changes my speeds) works perfectly. So lets see how tomorrow goes in the 2nd Ring!