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DAY 3 PASO ROBLES 3:40 PM
I’m sitting in Paso Robles where the current temperature is about 9000degF. Or maybe around 90degF (33 degC). That’s OK though, soon the temperature will drop and I could easily complain about the chill later. Today was another fast day. Some rolling hills and one biggie. It wasn’t really even that big. Well, it was big. But I felt wiped out. As I was struggling up the hill I was thinking, "But I’ve done the Alps, this should not be so hard." But it was. I pushed though. I have vowed on multiple occasions not to push so hard. But I do. Its not a race, and I’m not trying to win. But I want to push myself and get training out of it. I hook up with different people and I pull them, or vice versa, or both. Today’s stats are: Distance – 78.02 miles (125.56 km) Time on bike – 4:22:08 Average Speed – 17.86 mph (28.74 kph) Max – 35.17 mph (56.6 kph) Scott’s friends, the "Gutter Bunnies" are fun and I was planning on writing about them, but I’m starving and will eat dinner 1. 5:30 PM Perhaps being a little anti-social by moving off to write in my journal, but oh well, so be it. I have the place, the time, and the desire. And the ice on my knee. And Ben just showed up. So the "Gutter Bunnies." They are a group of riders that Scott trains with. Very nice, very inclusive, very conscientious. We are camping with them and riding together during parts of the Ride. I hope that I can get a group shot … although that might be difficult. Yesterday there were about 20 of us doing paceline. We rode at a very nice pace. I dropped back to enjoy the scenery with Ben (as opposed to the wheel of the guy in front of me). Many thanks to the "gutter bunnies," if any of you are reading this. You guys have made the trip even more of an experience. "Gutter Bunnies," I am told, is the name given to road riders by mountain bikers. Oh, for all of you who have scoffed at me shaving my legs = it paid off yesterday when the woman rearranged my thighs. If I had taped my knee this morning, it would have been really convenient. I opted to go tape-free.
MORNINGS The morning starts at around 4:30 am. Eric Rosendahl, the "Julie McCoy" of the bunnies, makes sure that Ben and I are up. I wake up, and I put on my cycling shorts for the day, then pull my jeans over ‘cause its so damn cold! Then jacket and stocking cap, off to the portable toilet, then standing in line to get coffee (opens at 5:00 am) to drink while waiting in line for breakfast. Eat breakfast, rearrange your bag for the 100th time, put on the rest of the cycling gear, then decide jacket or not, finish packing the bag (sort of), break down the tent, and then put sunscreen on (and watch your arms and legs steam), carry your 700 lb bag to the truck, change shoes, head to the bike. Its now about 6:30 or 7:00 am. Then you freeze your ass off, fight the lights, and then say "On your left" to upwards of 1500 people. And that’s the morning.
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3 down, 4 to go. Still a cool, cool experience. I’m
not going to talk anymore about knees other than to say they hurt, they will continue to
hurt, but the pain is manageable and "non-threatening." 
