The first pictures I took were on the bus ride going from the hotel in Norfolk to Scope, where we would collect our bikes and start riding. Pictured here are Joe and Molly, two Team Turtle team members.
Intro | Training | Day 1 | Day 3 | Day 4
Day 1: The Journey Begins
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The first pictures I took were on the bus ride going from the hotel in Norfolk to Scope, where we would collect our bikes and start riding. Pictured here are Joe and Molly, two Team Turtle team members.
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| Here I am with Susan (I'm in the red), showing off our aquired Turtle mascots (on back of helmets - thanks to the Dollar Store). After nearly missing the bus from DC to Norfolk, Susan and I were concerned we'd miss the bus from the hotel to Day 1 Opening Ceremonies. We made it (early)! | |
| Here is Team Turtle at Scope, where we picked up our bikes & started the ride. The day before ("Day Zero") we were at Scope watching a safety video, registering for the ride, and getting tent assignments. | |
| Here we are with two friends we caught up with at Scope right before the ride started. Note the big smiles on our faces. We may not have looked this way if we knew that by the end of the day, we would ride over 40 miles in pouring rain...changing flat tires, seeking shelter from lightning in a kind stranger's garage (or...was that on the second day of pouring rain?Hmm... I get them confused), freezing on the ferry we waited a long, long time to catch, and riding into camp in the dark. Good thing we didn't know. Oddly enough, it wasn't nearly as bad as it sounds. We we were telling jokes, saying hello to those we passed (or those who passed us), or we were simply in awe of amazing human spirit and kindness throughout the ride. But I'm getting ahead of myself.... | |
| Here we are dropping off our bags and meeting our "C" crew for the first time. Susan and I had a tent location assignment in "C" section, so we dropped off and picked up our baggage and bikes in the "C" sections. Very organized, and the Crew was amazing. | |
| We had a few "issues" leaving Scope, mostly minor technical bike problems...so we were LAST bikers for some time. To make up for time, we skipped the first Pit Stop (usually about 20 miles apart) and went straight for the second Pit. Here we are at the second Pit after having a nice, long rest. We hadn't yet seen rain, so we were still applying sunblock regularly. From the left: Susan, Jim, me, Joe, and Molly. | |
| Here are the boys (Jim & Joe) getting ready to leave Pit 2. Porta-potties were to the left, and the wonderful guys at Bike Tech were to the right under the yellow "Ultimate...." tent. Plenty of water, Gatorade, fruit, and salted snacks were available at all the Pit Stops. The volunteers on the ride were absolutely WONDERFUL, making sure that we had everything we needed every minute of the ride! | |
| This is my bike. I love it. | |
| We made it to lunch right before the skies opened. Due to loud thunder and distant lightning, we were told to seek shelter under the 18-wheeler trucks while we inhaled lunch. Yes, we sat under big refrigerated trucks while we ate - that was a first for me!! | |
| This is the lunch stop right as it began to rain. We finished eating right before it started to rain, and we hopped back on the bikes before lunch closed down. | |
I have a limited number of pictures, but so many other riders captured great moments. Here are links to other rider sites for more pictures:
Note: I don't have pictures from Day 2. Either it was raining (didn't want to pull out the camera) or Jim and I were trying to pick up speed so that we could get to the campsite in time to enjoy camp. On Day 1, we got to camp at 8:45 pm, so it was already dark & we didn't have much time to shower, eat, and get to sleep at a decent hour to awake at 5:45 am.