A Climatic Weekend of Training

Provided by Martin- Edited/published and modified with permission by lynn and joy.

Sunday: Lynn headed out sometime between 5:45am and 6:00am, again with the "blinkie." A storm was brewing so before I got into the car, I decided that the smarter thing to do was to wait. Then BIG lightening and thunder started! I thought, "CRAP!" I searched and found some rain gear. Aha! A gallon sized zip-lock bag with wind-breaker and rain jacket. I put this in a handy position near the door and left a message for Lynn that I was headed out to Pleasant Union Elementary, so that I could get it to her before the storm reached her.

I (Martin) was a mile down the road when Lynn called. She was sheltering under the carport at one of the churches at the corner of Bruce Garner and Rock Springs roads. She was dry because she stopped riding when she saw the lightening. It had not started raining where she was. I arrived at the church where Lynn was trying to decide what to do. It looked like the storm was easing off and was less threatening north. Lynn didn’t want to ride farther north. I offered to "leapfrog SAG" and direct Lynn onto lightly traveled roads. Lynn didn’t want to ride farther north. We loaded up her bike and headed for Raleigh.

We headed directly into some tremendous cloudbursts and lightening. It was very dark. Some (a few) cyclists were still riding through this?!? The storm finally passed. Lynn decided to re-start her ride after refilling her water bottles and making a quick wardrobe change.

Lynn re-started her ride around 10am or 10:30am. She called around 2:00pm to say she was doing all right. I mentioned that she doesn’t have to do an entire 150 miles. I knew I was wasting my breath. The next thing I knew, she was finished at around 5:00pm. Lucky’s odometer read 150.06 miles. Now that is what I call careful planning. Was that the longest solo ride of all training this year? Ask Lynn….