My latest 100 miler was yesterday and the ride was a piece of cake.  No, not bragging, I have to attribute that to all the training I do. Yes, it really does make a difference!  However, my bike knew these long rides were getting a bit easy for me and that I like a challenge so at mile 97 my chain broke.  I had the links to reassemble but I couldn’t remove the broken links.  I sat on the bike and pushed myself the last three miles and when I got to the finish line, with many of the ride organizers watching, I lifted by bike and carried it over the finish line declaring the Andrade team overcame and made it to the end. 

The Withlacoochee Trail is a rail trail with 8 foot wide pavement the whole way and few rural road crossings.  Trees adorned a fantastic sun shade canopy so the 90 degree temperatures were actually quite pleasant as long as you kept the air conditioning going by sweating and moving.  The organizers of this ride celebrated the third anniversary of Pastor Jim Parker’s passing and his propensity to ride with a 100 miler on every birthday.  A definite well organized, friendly, and enjoyable ride.  Now it looks like a chain will become part of my spare parts kit I travel with.  Like many of these rides you see the darndest things!