Conquer the Coast, 2011

The anticipation of a bike ride always gets to me. There is a mental checklist I have to ensure I have my gear, nutrition, and my bike is in order. I rode my bike to the start line and enjoyed watching one rider being helicoptered to the start of the ride- talk about a grand entrance.



We started with crossing the harbor bridge and catching a spectacular view of the sunrise. It is mornings like this that make me want to start each day with riding my bike into the sunrise. It is morning likes this that make me want to be on tour, forget life, forget work and ride my bike everywhere.

Conquer the coast has an eighteen mile stretch that is labeled “the hardest time trial you can find in Texas”. The head wind hits you straight on when you turn off the ferry and head down Mustang Island on chip-and-seal asphalt. It is brutal. Once you take another turn over JFK bridge, the wind turns in your favor.

This is one of my favorite rides of the year. It is flat and if the weather is perfect, the wind is behind you. I had no two hundred and sixty pound anchor slowing me down and I am quite pleased with my finishing time. Another finisher medal and another 70 miles on my mile log keeps Barbie and her bike happy.