rule #1 - never call it SanFran, it's just the city and what a gorgeous city it is!
For our last stage, we planned to get out
ahead of the Peloton and get into Santa Rosa in time. We started with coffee at the Fairfax Coffee
Roastery, Fairfax is held up as the birthplace of Mountain Biking with Gary
Fisher starting out in this gorgeous little village. The coffee was great and I have been
surprised that despite the dish water generally on offer at the hotels, the US
does have it’s share of proper coffee houses and they do it really well.
Once again the Bonk Breaker Boys/Helen’s
Masters Team joined our group. We were
tapping along at a steady pace, along a beautiful road to Reyes Point; a
tranquil area with just a few boats houses on the waterline. Suddenly the call came that with 40km to go,
the Peloton were catching us. In a split
second our pace lifted and we could almost feel the chase breathing down our
necks
After another 20km of sustained effort I
“attacked off the back” of the last four riders and was left to finish the ride
TT style which works for me. I loved riding through the streets of Santa Rosa with the
crowd cheering me on.
So this is pretty much it, our dream of
living the life of a pro cyclist is almost over and it has been an absolute
blast. Mind you it’s not all beer and skittles.
From long days in the saddle when you just
want to fall off the bike and sleep, to times when you cant remember your hotel
room number, you look in the mirror and think “Boy, I don’t look too great!”,
the daily chores like washing your kit in the bathroom sink and trying to keep
your bike running smoothly. And of course being away from home, I miss my kids
and Sarah dearly and perhaps even the routine of a day job and being home for
regular dinner. We’ve been staying at the Hampton Inn hotal chain mostly and
they have been sensational. I wouldn’t swap this experience for anything, I
have been incredibly blessed not only to be a part of this Masters team with
great cyclists who are now life long friends but also to give back a little bit
of hope and inspiration to those who have had to mortgage their health in the
hope of a full recovery from some form of cancer. I met a lovely couple today, Steve and
Cathy. So similar to us and Cathy has
had breast cancer recently, but has been 6 months cancer free. I hope and pray she continues in good health.
My facebook page already has all the video and pics from today so check it out
Keep riding
Mike
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