Justin (left) and David (right) moments after completing the rideWe did it!
On Saturday, David and I completed the 65-mile course as participants in the 2008 Conquer The Coast bike ride. Ride highlights included crossing the huge bay bridge at dawn, riding the Port Aransas Ferry, crossing the JFK Causeway and riding through the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.
The many weekends of training and bicycle commuting paid off. David handled the 65-mile ride confidently and became a “man on fire” climbing the large JFK Causeway bridge. I was very, very impressed. He has come a long way!
I found the ride challenging and it should be noted that headwinds were not much of a factor which is sure to have reduced the difficulty level. It was not distance or elevation that challenged me most but the miles of brutal pavement on stretches of Highway 361 (on Padre Island) and the many bumps and crevices of Ocean Drive on the final 10-mile stretch to the finish line.
The 65-mile route circles Corpus Christi Bay
The ride was well supported with some good rest stops and some pretty solid SAG support. The SAGs were necessary since there were many stretches of the route that had glass and debris that led to many flat tires for participants.
David had a flat tire at around the 50-mile mark when we were just a mile or so from exiting the JFK Causeway. Like a champ he changed his rear tire tube and inflated a new tube with a cartridge of CO2. His emergency repair got him to the finish line with plenty of air in the tube to spare!
This was a great experience and a solid workout that involved nearly 5 hours of riding.
Many thanks to my family for the solid support and encouragement.
thats great bro, i did that ride about 3 years ago and it was alot of fun. the ms 150 from SA to CC was alot of fun too!