Bad Luck?

So for last weekend's ride I got #13.  Per tradition I wore it upside-down.  Then, 2 days later I had an emergency tooth extraction as the first step in treating an infected cheek/jaw.  I was out of work for 2 days and the ones I was there for, getting to the end was a challenge.  Having a tooth extracted out of an infected jaw involves them breaking it into pieces and prying it out while you listen.  My preference would have been to be "asleep" for the event, no such luck.  Those tooth breaking sounds!

13? 

Coincidence?  

Yeah, probably coincidence.  My tooth was already killing me before last weekend.  

So for this week's ride I get:

Number of the BEAST

Party On Garth

I'm not wearing that number upside-down.  Anyway, when I looked at it I saw 999 which apparently means that angles are contacting me.  Crap, I didn't think the infection had got that bad.

I may have been a little late to start

Once I got on the bike the ride went pretty good!  For about 3 hours I almost forgot how my head was throbbing and muscle memory took over the fatigue.  I rode the first 11 miles in a pack, 8-10 alone and the rest with one other rider.  We'll call him Dan; because I think that was his name.  I know it was 3 letters long with a vowel in the middle. ( I should remember it, I blame the antibiotic)

Kelly had a great run despite having a cold coming on.  2nd overall female, we think.

Team Edwards raised $345 for this event!

 I'm still soliciting donations for The Dempsey Challenge!

Bad Luck?  No.  I'll take an infected tooth over a cancer diagnoses.

Loon..Loon....Loon.....Loon.......Loon........Loon....

Get it? (Hint: it's a Loon Echo)

Spoiler Alert: We finished

 I had thoughts about skipping this ride due to a toothache that has been one of the more painful experiences of my life including broken bones and surgeries. Off to the endontist on Monday, I hope.

But, that's not the story here.  I decided to ride.

I had told my wife that I'd ride with her.  Well, it wasn't 15 minutes into the ride that I chased down some of the local race guys and considered going for speed.  NO,  that is exactly what happened last year so I let them go and went with plan A.  Plan A was to ride with her but go hard on some Strava segments to keep myself entertained.  

Waiting at the first rest stop to ride together

 My wife was a little skeptical at first that I'd be satisfied riding at her pace for 100 miles but I was determined to enjoy the ride and kick ass on some hills. Racing up ahead for some sections let me get some shots of her on the course.  I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

Beautiful Country Roads

Beautiful Country Wife

Maybe I need to ride with a selfie stick, can you see the swollen jaw?

I seem to get a lot of pictures on green bridges.

Androscoggin River

I did get to the top o' the notch with some time to spare to take a picture

High Five Bro, Note the inverse "13" bib number.

All and all it was a great day!  Another good ride for Team Edwards.  Which reminds me, there is less than 1 week to donate to the Cancer Community Center Ride and only 2 weeks to donate to The Dempsey Challeng.  Both of us still need to raise a little more cash before the end of the week. 

Please consider donating.

Team Edwards Needs Your Help!

Escaping From The Pumpkin Man Via ET

My first thought was to ride to the Pumpkinman Tri and watch my wife compete then ride home.  Well, it was 54 miles one way on main roads and the race started at 8:00.  F-that.  The next best thing was to get up at 5:00 with her, get her set up at the race and then ride some areas that I don't usually get to.

Happy Triathlete

It turns out that the Eastern Trail runs right by the triathlon start and I've never ridden it south of Saco.  The first part isn't so much a trail but signs telling you what roads to be on.  Kind of a gyp if you ask me but the signs were clear and the roads were (mostly) back roads so I'll let it go.

This is the part I had been to.

 The trail part from Kennebunk to OOB area was nice with only the occasional "On Your Left" being needed.  For the most part even that was unnecessary.  Then it happened.  The one day of the year I decide to ride the eastern trail...1200 other people are riding it too.  The trail to Scarborough was a total parking lot of people out to do their big 25 mile ride of the year.

1200 Trail Users

1201

 The ride was actually the Maine Lighthouse Ride which supports the ET so it was all good but what are the chances?  I slowed from the 20mph range to somewhere right around 9mph.  I got to talk to Mark (?) from the Bicycle Coalition of Maine for a few miles.  Mark yelled words of encouragement to every person we passed, and there were a lot.  Fun guy!  Kind of a BCOM cheerleader. Soon after we hit the road I picked my pace back up so I'd be home before dark.

This time it isn't wrapped in plastic.

From there I rode to the end of the lighthouse ride to see if they had some water.  I was the first bicycle on the scene.  No water (?) but they did offer me some ice tea which was even better.

This picture has nothing to do with the ride. This is what a fitbit looks like just before it shits the bed - AGAIN.

I'm not sure how a picture of my broken Fitbit got here (other than I loaded it by mistake).  I wasn't even wearing it because it broke.  Don't buy products from Fitbit, they suck!

Anyway, I got tired of taking pictures after that.  Actually, I got tired of just about everything after that.  I continued up the coast through Falmouth & Yarmouth. By mile 80 I was at Pineland Market to fill my water bottles one last time and my legs were done.  Done I tell you.  Somehow I made it home.  I'd say this was one of the hardest rides of the year and I'm not sure why.  Oh well, there's always next weekend.  Loon Echo!

Team Edwards Needs Your Help!

 

I've done The Dempsey Challenge every year since it started.  Since then with your donations I've personally raised $9510 for that cause.  Kelly has also done it as either a run or a ride and raised several thousand.  My goal has always been to raise enough to get the Dempsey Challenge cycling Jersey for raising $1000.  In the past few years we started participating in the Fight Back Festival which supports the Cancer Community Center in Portland.  The Dempsey Center and the Cancer Community Center offer nearly identical services for people struggling with cancer.  One center services Lewiston/Auburn and the other Portland.  The CCC doesn't have a pretty movie star promoting the event so it doesn't get the press of The Dempsey Challenge but it is equally important.  As much as I would love to get my 8th Dempsey Challenge jersey, I don't really need one.  Kelly and I do both need to meet some minimum fundraising goals for each entry so please click on the links below and donate to the cause you feel most strongly about.  If you hail from the LA area or just like the way Patrick looks, then pick the Dempsey.  If you've got kin in Portland then the CCC/FBF is the one to support.  If you just want to support me or Kelly, click on our links and make sure we've got to our minimum.

(Update: We have both reached all of our minimums!!  So, still feel free to donate to whatever cause and person you like.  But, if your undecided, pick my Dempsey Page.  I wouldn't mind collecting the complete set of Challenge riding shirts. And I control the blog.)

Brian's Dempsey Challenge Page

Kelly's Dempsey Challenge Page

Brian's Fight Back Festival Page

Kelly's Fight Back Festival Page

Physically we're ready for the challenge!   The first year I did The Dempsey Challenge I did the 50 mile option because I wasn't sure I was up for the 100.  8 years later I have already done twelve 100+ mile rides this year.  So far these have been unsupported rides, no rest stops every 12 miles with food and water.  The Dempsey Challenge is going to be a cake walk (whatever that actually means).  Scroll down in my blog to see posts about most if not all of them.

Kelly completed her first Ironman.  (notice I said first) Still, don't expect her to run a marathon after she finishes the Dempsey ride, we'll be eating cold lobster and heating our frozen hands up with hot potatoes.

And now I present to you dozens of pictures of "Team Edwards" in action in no particular order.  Celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary and over 20 years together we've never been stronger!