Quick Update

I am writing this lying on my back with my feet straight up the wall. They told us to do this to promote recovery.
Yesterday, day one was exciting and tough. We had a 3 mile climb at an 8%-10% grade and it rained all day. At one point we made a steep descent at over 30 mph in a pouring rain. It was cold, scary and exilerhating. I literally wore off half my rear brakes yesterday and will need new ones after tomorrow.
I have connected with a real good group of 5 people and we call ourselves Team Turtle because we are the last ones in the pack and we have the most fun! There's Crist who is a really strong guy and is always out front leading us. Then comes Diane who is Crist's significant other and she is our navigator extraordinaire. Then comes me and I assist with navigation and communication between the front and rear of the group. Then comes Lynne and she is our coach and cheerleader. Then comes Sam who is also very strong and one of the kindest people I have ever met, he sweeps up anyone who is tiring (usually me) and is our safety officer.  We ride in exactly that order all the time.