Bluebonnet Express

This past Sunday I rode in the Bluebonnet Express.

As is normal for most rides they have several routes to choose from, 25, 40, and 62 miles. I decided on the 62 mile route which is also known as a metric century because it converts to 100 kilometers. I like the sound of 100 kilometers better than 62 miles because it sounds like I went a lot further.

All routes started at the Waller County Fairgrounds up near Hempstead. The start time was set to be 8:00AM and not being sure of how long it would take me to get there I left early and arrived at about 6:45AM. This is not as early as it seems. In fact I think if I had been 10 or 15 minutes later I would have been stuck in the mother of all traffic jams. Anyway, I had plenty of time to do a safety check of my bike, make sure the tires are aired up, seat is on tight, etc. About 7:00AM the thunder and lightning started. A few minutes later the rain came in big fat drops then in a short while as a drizzle. I covered my bike seat and computer having learned the previous week that the rain will make my computer freak out.

I stayed in my truck listening to the radio and watching all of the riders wander around in the rain until about ten minutes before the ride was to start and decided it was time to head over to the starting line. The rain had tapered off some but I still had to hang out under a big tree to keep from getting to wet. From under my tree I could see and hear the announcer up at the start giving everyone instructions of where to register and where to park. 8:00AM rolls around and the guy announces that we can't start yet because there are so many cars on the road so we will have to wait about 15 minutes. Five minutes later he says that we will start in about 15 minutes. Then, you guessed it, five minutes later "15 more minutes".

Finally, someone got smart and stopped traffic and five minutes later we finally got to start our ride. It drizzled for about the first five or ten minutes then the rains magically stopped. I thought my prayers must have been answered and I made pretty good time for a little while, then the mighty winds started blowing. It was a tough route and I had no idea that it would be as hilly as it was. This was a really good ride for MS150 training as it had all weather conditions, rainy, windy, cold, hot, sunny and cloudy and different road conditions, flat, hilly, rough and smooth.

Next week it's the Tour De Cypress.

Wish me luck