Wonderful riding on the island

I enjoyed two wonderful rides in Puerto Rico this week, thanks to my friends Connie and Lizzie and their coaches. The first ride with Connie was one of my favorite routes when I lived in Manati, Barceloneta to Lago dos Bocas through the mountains and back on the beach from Arecibo. It was even better this time though, because her coach knew two great senic and car free roads that I had never seen which we threw in along with a stop for pollo, arroz con habicuelas, guineo en escabeche, y yucca. It was a slow climb out of Utuado after a lunch like that. My riding partner was a junior time trial champion who was a good motivator to watch zip along the beach. All was fantastic except for my poorly chosen combo of bibs and pit stop location. Let's just say ants in the pants and biting.

My second wonderful ride was with Lizzie and it was a blast. We rode with a group from Guaynabo to Florida which allowed for a great run through the small hilly and twisty roads of Montebello. That was a dream! Almost as good as Lizzie (former time trial champ) pulling our group into the wind on the coast. The woman can put her head down and go!!!!!