More Fun Mail

I got this PBP sticker today from my good friend, Jennifer Wise. It's going on the back of the car, next to the RUSA decal.

I also got an encouraging e-mail from riding buddy Wes. He said he's definitely in for PBP. Woohoo!

For a while on Saturday's 600K, it looked like Wes was going to sag in. When he arrived at the Wilmington control, he was completely cooked. But after getting several hours of rest, he announced at 3:30 a.m.: "Fuck it, I'm riding." He rode off into the dark and the rain, and did the entire 300K return trip by himself. Kelly and I saw him three miles before the finish line. He was tired but seemed genuinely satisfied.

Here's what Wes said in an e-mail about the experience and his upcoming training plans:

Stopping over 11 hours at the control will make anyone forget the crappy ride out.... I think I will take this weekend off for long rides, may do 40-50 miles slowly. But the following weekend I guess its time to do a century every weekend and add some Chapel Hill - Lake Norman round trips every month.

Wes joins a growing roster of N.C. riders who are heading to France for the big show. The ones I'm sure of: Wes, Ende, Jerry, Branson, Caroline, Glenn, Paul S., Adrian. Who am I missing?

With qualifying out of the way, I'll now concentrate on finishing my application and, like Wes, plot a training strategy for the next 10 weeks or so.

As I told Capn Ende when he finished a grueling 600K in Tenn.: Qualifying is over; now it's time to train....