April 25th, 5:00a the alarm goes off and I knew it was time to roll my ass over and get to cooking. Why so early? It was time to start carb-loading for the Hill Country Ride for AIDS, a 50 mile bike ride through the Hill Country for local AIDS charities in Austin. Pancakes and a breakfast casserole were on tap for the morning.
The team – Kajuns and Kowboys – gathered at 5:30 for breakfast and it was out the door to Spicewood for the start of the ride.
When we arrived, we checked in and started to mentally prepare for the day. Overcast and the random drizzle made it cooler than usual, but also made for an unsure weather day. At 8:30, we lined up with hundreds of other riders, and were ready to head out.
By 9:45a, we had traveled 12 miles and were at our first pit stop. It was amazing to see all the support and volunteers cheering us on the entire way. For first time riders, we were making great time, and enjoyed the chance to stop and catch up with the team. After a brief break, we were on the road again, stopping at mile 22 at our next pitstop. The hills at this point were really starting to get closer together and more steep, but we kept chugging along.
By 1:00ish, we were 31 miles in and made it to our lunch break, which was amazing. Whole Foods had provided a ton of sandwiches, pastas, cookies, drinks – just what everyone needed to get through the rest of the ride.
Lunch wrapped, and we were off to face “Everest”, the steepest hill we were to face. A hill so steep that many riders often end up walking up the hill with their bikes, and not riding. Despite the climb, we faced it head on and made it up the hill and were rewarded with water, popsicles and friendly faces. From here, it was the home stretch to the finish line, and supporters galore.
All 50 miles, our whole team, over $1,200 from the team donated thanks to your support, and our ride was a success! Thank you again to all who donated, and supported our ride! We’re signing up for the Livestrong ride in October, and we’ll be on the road again!
The Kanjuns and Kowboys (L-R: Sam, Kristin, Mr Wolford, Brian, Jeff, Mrs Wolford)
Check out all the ride photos here!
