I didn't die

As I mentioned last week, the S.O. and I rode our bicycles 25-miles Sunday as part of the Elephant Rock Cycling Festival. It was a great day for a ride (we finished well before any tornadoes spun through the area). Cool in the morning, warming to a sunny day.

I'm not going to say it was easy. It wasn't. It was 25 miles, and I swear at least 90 percent of it was uphill. It was tough. But I never had to get off and push the bike up a hill. I made it the whole way. I'm pretty proud of that accomplishment. Sure, there were people who rode 34, 62 and 100 miles, but I can't compare myself to those folks. This is the longest bike ride I've ever done, and that's cool. I honestly don't think I could have made it if I wasn't doing the boot camp workouts. My endurance has definitely improved.

The route passes through Castlewood Canyon. There was some very pretty scenery along the way.

We had a rest and aid stop at 12.3 miles. They gave us plenty of carb-loaded snacks and refills for our water bottles. Plus, they had port-a-potties. Here we are at half-way, after refueling.

Because this stop was at about the halfway point, I thought the second half would be a breeze. I was sorely mistaken. The second half was more on-road, and my little mountain bike just isn't built for such climbs on the road -- neither are my knees, apparently.

Here I am at the top of one of many climbs. This one was just after the second aid and rest station -- about 19 miles from the start.

As I said, I made it -- and with hardly any complaints.