As much as we tried to ensure as many aspects of this event are planned and organized...there will always be some challenges. Our day started off with visits to 2 different bike stores in Lexington to tune up 3 bikes on our team. It's amazing what riding so much distance each day can do (and yes, the bike crash didn't help either). That said...the local folks were able to get everything fixed up and we were back on the road.
Our ride route started from just south of Lebanon TN at 6pm. BAD. This was actually revised from last year due to traffic....however the same challenge existed. While our team pulled over frequently to allow cars to pass - it was still not enough for some drivers. While most were supportive...we did experience some negativity from a few who apparently couldn't spare the 5 or 10 minute delay in their day.
Oh well...we pedalled onwards aware that what we were doing is making a difference for the people who use the services of Wellspring.
Due to some variations in the distances that have been covered by the teams, a great surprise for us in the second half of our ride was that our team got the opportunity to ride from the entrance of the Natchez Trace Parkway. This is the GOOD. It's essentially a 444 mile paved road with no stoplight s, stop signs, or much traffic from Nashville TN to Natchez MS. It is a dream route for cyclists and rated as one of the top rides in North America. Our team quietly coasted for several hours, up and down on the roller coaster path...in the dark...no traffic....just us and the peace of night. Oh yes...we also saw 20 to 30 curious deer not sure who was interrupting their night.
The other GOOD that we had before the day was complete took place after our ride. By the time we got to Franklin where we took over the hotel rooms from the team that was riding after us...it was 230am. We were hungry and even McDonalds was closed in town. We found one place that still had lights on...Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom. Upon walking in, we were told they just had last call and their kitchen was closed. In fact, their chef was gone already. I guess from the looks on our faces and our explanation of why we were walking in so late...they invited us to have a seat. Several of the restaurant staff then took to staying late after closing, providing refreshments along with firing up the kitchen to make us some of their special pizza. Awesome. Even more awesome....was that they refused to charge us for the pizza, indicating it was their way to support what we were doing. We gave them a big tip in return for their hospitality.
Michelle, our server, at Old Chicago at 330am:
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