Storms Galore

There was something ominous in the air when I awoke this morning. Then I got to my bike and had a flat, along with several other people. We had to ride to Fort Morgan, and the ride was off to a slow start. About 5 miles before the first lunch there was a huge tailwind, and I was able to go downhill at 44 miles per hour! It was awesome because lunch was at the bottom of the hill in the middle of nowhere.

The wind was super intense. Vant took out the flag to see how we'll he could run with it. Not so well it turns out.

Matt and I took off after first lunch at a good pace. The sky was darkening at an extreme rate, and I had a feeling we were going to have to seek refuge somewhere.

(Photo Credit: Vant Lammers)

So it started to rain, and as soon as we saw a gas station, it lightninged. A crew was already there getting settled in for a long afternoon. We thought we would only have to wait an hour for the storm to subside, but the lightning just kept coming. Rachel looked like a homeless girl stuck at the gas station.

Those were tough times. One of the leaders told us that 14 people had been struck by lightning in. Colorado in the past week, and we wouldn't be finishing our ride for the day. I cursed the skies for cutting our ride short. I wanted to ride. I was ready to ride. I was born to ride. But safety comes first.

   I've come to accept that not all things in life go according to plan. I'm riding as part of a team, and our team sticks together. I spent the rest of the afternoon in the gas station playing games and waiting to be shuttled to the host. It was strange to ride in the van for the remainder of the day. One day I'd like to come back to finish the stretch I didn't do today.

   At the host I actually ran for the first time since January! It made my day because I missed running quite a bit. I also played knockout, and I was super close to winning. 

   My fingers are crossed that our ride to Loveland will sunny and beautiful. Gotta keep on rolling. Gotta keep on doing what I came here to do.

-Sarah