Today we start another bicycle adventure...we started with 33 riders and a downhill course to New Orleans...well, that's what they all say anyway...supposedly New Orleans is a little over 800 feet below us, but we have to climb over 55,000 feet to get to it.  I guess that means we'll have about 55,800 feet of descending.  Now there's a half full glass of water if you ask me.

Yesterday was a long day assembling bikes and getting everyone registered, but the able team of Brantley, Barb, and Karen handled that chore well...Brantley and I did the bike assemblies while Karen and Barbara took on registration, shuttling folks to bike shops, and room assignments.  It was a long day that started at 8:00 AM and finished after 10:00 PM.  Several people were late due to weather on the east coast and cancelled flights.  Jack D. didn't get in until 9, but we'd already put his bike together since he had called and arranged pickup...we needed to get on the road today so we can catch up on our rest...whew.

Our route today took us along the Mississippi River to the town of Red Wing MN famous for its shoes.  We planned on departing late due to the low mileage day of only 52 miles.  Plus, a late departure gave us time for the obligatory tasks like taking pictures and getting into some routine that would serve us for the rest of the ride.  Personally, I would like an 8:00-9:00 start every morning, but I'm afraid if I mentioned that to the group they would mutiny on me.  We planned our group photo at 8:00 following breakfast at the motel or Perkins down the road.  After the photo we loaded luggage at 8:30 to allow people to get all packed up, tires pumped, and bikes checked out before departure.  It was funny to see some of them riding circles around the parking lot, biting at the bit to get on the road...probably mumbling, when is he going to let us start riding!!!!????  I told a couple of them this is the "Type A Personality Check" we do before this ride...it does us all good to set back and chill a bit...out here it's no exception.

The late start also allowed us to deal with the challenges that always plague the first day like people losing their route sheets, forgetting something in their room, figuring out how to attach their route sheet after they figured out where it was, where the vans should be, how to load the luggage, and fixing any last minute items that needed attention...just to mention a few.  It was a hectic start in spite of the late planned departure time.  We finally got it all sorted out and ready to go...we were off and running!

Our first challenge was to get out of town.  A local rider, Scott Gore, turned us on to a great departure route but we couldn't get it on a route sheet.  We usually don't ever go on a route that we haven't checked out and recorded, but when the staff rode it yesterday, we were impressed enough to try it anyway.  The route was very complicated, but one of the most scenic departures of any of our rides.  It took us along bike trails along the river and into downtown St Paul before leaving the river into some beautiful Minnesota farm land before connecting to our original route in Prescott.  We only had a couple of hiccups as some folks got a bit disoriented along the way, but they all found their way back onto our routing and were well on their way down the river.  Thanks to Scott and Jeff Lazer (above left...an ABB alum who also lives in the area) plus girlfriend Sandra who let us through all the complicated routing out of town.  This route was a definite keeper!

Beautiful weather on our first day...probably the best we could have wished for.  Last night a storm blew through, but today was great.  The temperatures topped in the low 80s and we were in sunshine most of the day.  Besides our routing, our next challenges were getting accustomed to the route sheets and the hilly terrain that awaited us after we exited the bike trail and entered the roadways of Minnesota.  I always forget how hilly this first day is  especially after we cross into Wisconsin.  The first section in Minnesota is rolling but after Prescott, in Wisconsin at about the 37 mile point, we really had a couple of good climbs by any definition.  As I was riding through, most everyone was doing well.  We have a couple of people who will be challenged in the next several days as we will discover that the ride down the river is not all downhill...we'll see how they all do.

It's nice to be back on the road on this ride.  I really enjoy the terrain and the scenery this time of year.  Everywhere we looked today we saw tall stands of field corn...even on the very hilly parts of the ride.  Sometimes I wonder how they plant and harvest the crops on the slopes, but it makes for some pretty scenery.  I'm sure animals around here have legs shorter on one side to aid grazing on the slopes...if they didn't, wouldn't they fall over?    

The short mileage allowed for an early finish to our first day.  Everyone was in town by 3:00 which gave them time to check out the town and rest for tomorrow's long day in the saddle.  Tomorrow's our first of three century days and it's a beautiful ride down the river.  I think a few are a bit apprehensive about the mileage, but I think most of them will do fine.  Seems like another pretty good group...isn't that always the case when cyclists get together?