deCycles Southeast America 2014
Journal Entry
Day 8 ... Saturday, June 28

Start: Daytona Beach, FL

End: St. Augustine, FL

Distance: 52-miles

Terrain: Flat, coastline.

Climate: Upper 90s, humid, sunny, hot.  Moderate headwinds

Never say a day on deCycles is gonna be easy.  52-mile days seem like easy stuff to all the veterans....until a headwind comes along and makes it much more difficult.  The headwind was much stiffer than yesterday.  And even though the heat was less oppressive in the morning, the afternoon sun and humidity was as severe as any day on this trip.  The riders need to pay strict attention to their hydration and their behaviour.   Any deviation may push them to the brink of bonkdom.....a condition of system semi-failure.  Those not paying attention in these extreme conditions can find themselves bonking as the day wears on.

A headwind is the arch-enemy of a cyclist.  It affected everyone and zapped one rider who fainted while on the bike resulting in some road rash.  It's easy to see why some perform better than others.  Those who attended most of the training rides back in Bloomington are definitely having a good time and are able to handle the external stresses more effectively.  Those who didn't train much are having the most difficulty.  Nothing new here.  

We arrived in St. Augustine about 2:00pm.  This is a lovely town and one of my favorites in Florida.  Tomorrow is a rest day and the riders will get an excellent chance to see this charming coastal town on the Atlantic Ocean.  We enjoyed a surprise visit from 6-trip deCycles veteran Eric Hodina and his wife Natalie.  Eric is a former group leader and was on the trips from 2002-2007.  They are expecting their first child in November and we greatly enjoyed seeing them.  Eric spoke to the riders of how important deCycles was in his youth development.  Eric is a helicopter pilot in the Navy stationed in Jacksonville, FL.  

Can't wait to tour St. Augustine tomorrow on our rest day.  Should be fun.

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