Stage 3

I woke up long before the alarm went off at 6am.  I felt rested and hungry but cherished the time in bed.  Soon enough I would be expending a whole lot of energy, wishing I could lay down and sleep.  When the alarm finally went off, I rolled out of bed and started my morning routine.  After a bite of banana bread and a sip of coffee, things didn't feel right.

I was nauseous.  Why, I don't know.  But here it was and it would plague me all day long.  I couldn't eat, but could fortunately drink.  I sipped on water and electrolytes.   After getting everything loaded and getting the family moving to school, I headed out.  I still didn't feel good, so stopped and bought a Coke.  That helped a little bit.  Then I started nibbling on my Fritos that I had with me.  That helped too.  I was never able to get a good breakfast before the start.

Today's start was remote.  It was not convenient. But it is what it is.  Todd's instructions at the start were for each of us to do a summersault or a cartwheel at the end of the Lemans start.  I chose the cartwheel, and we were off. 

First up was a 12 mile climb up to Farlow Gap.  Down Farlow, still battling nausea, but able to drink and nibble on foods.  I found that if I ate a little bit, every 10-15 minutes, it seemed to be working for me.  So, that's what I did for the rest of the day. 

I had my heart rate monitor working today too, and was able to monitor my pace a lot better.  As I sit here typing this, Thursday evening,  I feel better than I did yesterday.  Although, a bit sleepy.  That's why I'm going to cut this story short and go to bed. 

I ended up alone for most of the day, which is fine with me.  I could focus on the ride. 

It was great to see the Pisgah Area Sorba people out there, along with other friends. It's also fun to line up with my teammate Chris Strout.  Huge shout out to Nolan,  hanging out alone out in the middle of nowhere at Buckhorn Gap.  It would've been way cooler if he had a bagpipe and a kilt.  Maybe next year?

Despite my illness, I definitely enjoyed the day on the bike.  My goal is to finish each stage and so far I have.  I rolled across the in 5hrs and 56 minutes.  Not bad for 40 plus miles and close to 12,000 ft of climbing!

Tomorrow's stage starts with a death march up Black Mountain, to Turkey Pen......

Have a great day.