Every time I think of Delaware I think of this scene from Wayne’s World:

Yup – so for the 2nd year I headed down to Delaware to take part in the Bethany Beach Ocean to Bay bike ride.  I was a little nervous as the weather channel was calling for up to 40mph winds – not something I really felt like riding 30 miles in, but after watching the documentary The Man Who Cycled The World I figured if Mark Beaumont could ride his bike through the desert in a crazy sandstorm I could probably tough it out for a few hours – plus  I already paid for the place we were staying.  🙂

So a few friends and I headed to the beach – it looked like the wind would be strongest as the day went on so we wanted to get done with the ride ASAP, but obviously still enjoy the scenery.  It was pretty easy going until I reached mile 17 – then it seemed like Mother Nature was determined to test my patience.  The wind steadily increased from there – it seemed no matter what direction I turned the wind was blowing straight into my face.  There were times when I felt like I was pedaling like crazy, but going nowhere.  I’m not sure how fast the wind gusts were, but according to the weather channel they were at least 20mph.  It was the hardest day of cycling I have ever done.  To keep my spirits up I set tiny goals for myself – “ok 5 more miles until the next rest stop – I got this” etc.

I arrived at the next rest stop and took a bit of a break.  They were serving hot dogs and since I am vegetarian I was thinking about going up and asking them if they would give me just the bun to eat, but then one of the riders in my group came over and I noticed she was eating just the hot dog and holding the bun – I forgot she just started a gluten free diet!! So she gave me her roll – it was a win win for all involved – LOL!  🙂  The only downside was that there were only 4 port-a-pots at that rest stop – and the line was insane.  Bummer – well only 6 miles to go – I could make it.

We kept going – the wind getting increasingly stronger.  At one point I looked over into the woods we were riding past and some motion caught my eye – it was about 15 deer running full force, something must have spooked them.  As I watched, the deer turned towards the road – I stopped and started yelling “DEER!” at the top of my lungs, but a few cyclist in front of me kept going.  Eventually a bunch of riders started yelling it and only one cyclist kept going, oblivious to the deer crossing his path, maybe he couldn’t hear us with the wind or maybe he was listening to headphones I don’t know – I really thought he was going to get mushed.  Right at the last second he must have seen the movement because he stopped and all the deer ran across the road without incident.  It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen – and I was cursing the fact I forgot my action cam.  The new phone holder I have for my bike is great, but it is really hard to take my phone off quickly to snap a picture.

There was one time we were going around a corner and some cyclists decided to ride up the wrong side of the road – luckily some people ahead yelled a car warning, but the poor lady had to slam on her breaks to avoid having a head on collision with the bikes.  This drives me nuts because when cyclists do things like this, it gives all of us a bad name and makes drivers less tolerant of bikers.  It is very clear that the roads are not closed to traffic for this event, so I’m not sure why people would be reckless like this. 

Since I forgot my camera and action cam I really only snapped a few pictures along the way – and of course I had to see the beach before I went home – even though the wind was outa control!

our view from our room

pretty tulips EVERYWHERE

group photo

cute stray cat I met

This is a really great bike ride I would recommend to anyone who might be interested in trying a long distance bike ride for the 1st time as the course is fairly flat and there are a few different lengths to choose from.  Check it out sometime!  🙂  Thanks to the great volunteers!!

She is a snuggly cat, but I can tell she missed me: