DAY 1 SANTA CRUZ 6:10 PM

Ben Mui is evil! Not really he just teases.

DAY 1 SANTA CRUZ 6:45 PM

We’re both sitting in the tent now, out of the cold and sufficiently sheltered from the wind. So what can I say to describe today? It’s not really possible, quite honestly. The amazing amount of support – the number of people lining the road, cheering us on. The adrenaline at the start. In the first 10 minutes Ben bunny-hopped one bottle out of his bike, lost it, and almost ran into me. Oh well.

This morning it was so very, very cold. I wore shorts though. We rode pretty hard to warm up and get the blood flowing. So what are today’s statistics? Time on bike – 5:40:57. Distance 91.35 miles (147.02 km). Average speed – 16.07 mph (25.86 kph). Maximum speed – 40.39 mph (65 kph) (Sorry, Mom). At one point we were just riding along and we were doing 36 kph (22.4 mph). Cool! Adrenaline I think.

So it was pretty cool. The scenery along the coast was fantastic – rolling hills along the coastline. The ocean views. The sense of community. And Ben and I being deemed "so cute" by the tent next door. Lucky us.

So how am I doing out of my 5 things of concern? 1. My butt. Its sore, OK? Didn’t expect otherwise. But its OK. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. 2. My neck. A little stiff but not too bad either. Again, tomorrow may be another story. 3. My knees. Can we talk about something else? My knees are not doing well. It concerns me. What’s strange is that my left knee started hurting first. Standard pain I’ve had this season. It stopped hurting though. Phew. But then the right started hurting and it continues to hurt. I’m hoping a night of sleep and rest will make it better. Please, please, please.

4. Weather. Cold, cold, cold. Cloudy to start with and then clearing. It never got real warm. At least that’s what the LA folk would say. Its cold tonight too.

5. Health. Cross my fingers. A little scratchy throat, but fine.