2008 Tour de Cure - Milwaukee Style

This past Sunday I participated in the 2008 Tour de Cure located in Milwaukee, WI. Actually it started in Grafton and moved throughout Ozaukee County so in reality it was not in Milwaukee. The Tour de Cure is a bike ride that takes place all across the United States on various dates, to raise money for the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The Milwaukee version had 4 distances to choose from. There was the 100K (62.5 miles), 54K (34 miles), 25K (15.5 miles) and the 10-mile family fun ride. Each rider was asked to raise at least $150.00 for the ADA.

I decided to participate in the 100K distance. This distance would be a new personal high in mileage biked at one time for me. I was very nervous going in. Just hoping I would be able to finish under 4 hours. As we began, the course took us straight into a very hard wind. There was a group of 15-20 riders that stuck together for the first 15 miles. At the 15 mile mark we lost a good portion of our group and we were left with 10. After another 5 miles we were down to 5, myself and 4 others. We stuck together until we reached the turnaround point. Our group of 5 became 4. With about 5 miles left we reached a hill that under normal circumstances would not be too difficult, but after 57 miles on the bike it was not fun. We lost another rider. As we pulled into the finish, there were only three of us left. We crossed together.

The ride was definitely one of the best bike rides I have ever . To work together with a group of guys was such an awesome experience. To be in a pace line working together to cut down the wind while conserving energy was fun. I look forward to doing this even again next year. Thank you to all who helped me raise $280.00 for the ADA.