Our day began with a 6:30 wake up call, which a lot of the guys have gotten accustomed to after doing it for the past 4 days in a row. We took our bikes down to the vans and racked them. Our a short 15 minute drive it was time to start our final practice ride before embarking on our journey. We were warned that the ride would be very hilly today, and boy was I in for a rude awakening. Although there are a lot of mountains in Tennessee, some how i managed to stay away from them in my training process. My first pace line of the summer was with two of my roommates, Blake and Saurbh, and off we went. Our ride was about 26 miles long and it was very nice to see all of the guys get on to their bikes, and working together. It is awesome to hear encouragement and all the communication between the guys on the bikes.
After returning back to the hotel from our ride we debriefed, and had time to get some much needed rest. I was not feeling well all day so I laid down and got a great two hour nap in before getting ready for the Kickoff Dinner at 6:30. Once again everyone loaded up in the vans and headed toward the Mont Clair Bistro to meet up with family and friends to spend the last bit of time together before leaving for the summer of a life time.
Dinner was great, and it was awesome seeing my family for a little bit. I know they are going to miss me, but I can tell they are very happy with what I am going to be doing this summer, and are going to be supporting me the entire time.
Our day ended back at the Inn at Jack London Square, and tonight I did something that I would never think I would do... shave my legs. Having shaved legs is something that is very common in cycling, and with all of the guys around me doing the same thing I could not resist.
Looking forward to getting on the bikes tomorrow, and crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to Napa. The day calls for 70 miles and around 4500 feet of climbing, so wish us luck!
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