The
next morning came early! And boy was it cold! It took a great deal of
convincing myself before I could muster up the courage to pry myself out of my
sleeping bag and put on my cycling shorts & jersey. We packed up our overnight bags and loaded them into the team truck before we got back on the bikes and got ready
to pedal on to Austin.
The morning of Day 2
We had two routes to choose from and we opted for the flattest one, so we headed straight to highway 71 and started north. The ride was mostly uneventful once we got moving and I think all of us were like horses headed to the barn. We had plenty of rest stops along the way and thankfully the wind was at our backs again. By the time we got close to Austin it was beginning to warm up quite a bit. The sun was high, the surroundings were mostly concrete and asphalt, and the hills were… well, the entrance to the Texas Hill Country. About 6 miles from the finish I looked at Ben and said, “Hey, I think we might actually finish this thing!” Eventually we crossed under I-35 and we knew we were getting really close. After a few more hills and turns, we came flying down the last really big hill, turned the last corner, and there we saw it…
the FINISH LINE!!!
It was such a pretty sight. Right behind it stood the capitol building. Hundreds
of people were lining the streets cheering us on. With 65 miles and nearly 5
hours of cycling behind us, we were done. What an amazing feeling it was. It
still is an amazing feeling. What an accomplishment for someone like me to ride
a bicycle all the way from Houston to Austin. It was an awesome experience and
one I hope to do again. Maybe even again and again. We’ll see!
Me & Ben at the finish. The best riding partner I could ask for! Thanks BEN!
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