Best Buddies Challenge Report #2

Seeing that Jenna so aptly described our eventful experience at the Best Buddies Challenge, I thought I'd highlight a few other various points of the trip and try not to repeat everything she said. To be brief, I'll cover three essentials common both to last weekend and to racing in general: the travel, the ride, and the party.
My travel consisted of driving up PCH to Hearst Castle where I met with Jenna and Kurt. After loading up my van, we continued North up the coast and previewed the ride that we would be completing on Saturday. I realized that riding through the Big Sur coastline would definitely be hilly and I wasn't looking forward to some of the one lane sections.
The 7:30 start on Saturday was an early (and cold) one for me, and as Jenna said, we did not get much sun throughout the ride. The huge pack of riders provided not only large draft but also plenty of people to talk to. Unfortunately, Phil was not able to get into the 100 mile ride with us so we missed out on his presence in the peleton. As the ride progressed those with less training fell off the back and the group's numbers thinned. We rolled in to the finish area with a ride time a little over 5 hours.
The events organizers spared no expense in their planning of the party on Saturday night. Multiple buffet lines filled with a variety of good food is a sight for sore eyes after a long day in the saddle. I had no difficulty living up to my reputation of eating great amounts of food and I met some more of the people that I had been riding with all day.

Sponsored by our own Sierra Nevada and Specialized, the Best Buddies Challenge was a well-organized and fun event. The ride raises funds to help people with mental disabilities, and though I'll be taking a bit of a break from the bike as I settle in at UCSB, I'm also very much looking forward to another charity ride we are all preparing for in October. The MS ride is a month away and will be another great opportunity to represent our sponsors and our cause. I will see you all there.

Thanks for reading,
Stephen Leece