Day3-4:SunMon Jan 1718

Showed up at 5:30 even though the bike store lady had said 6. After my luck finding the triathletes with chase car left about 5:45 on Saturday, I sure did not want to take any chance of missing that freebe. It pored rain about 3am and everything was puddle and wet. These are conditions I would never ride in in NH but so few days to ride here and I can always turn back if I feel the road is too slick.

So I am on station at 5:30, no one by 6.

You can just make out the big red digital clock that is in the "meetup" park. And here is a picture of the Kilometer signs that are all along the road. This is the start, Kilometer 0. Finally at 6:05 I spot 3 mountain bikers. I go over and stand with them just in case they are going on enough of a road for me to follow. I had gone to the bike store Saturday after my ride and bought the brightest fanciest lights, front and back. They cost me as much as 2 days of bike rental. Maybe I can bring them home.

Then at 6:15, a road bike rider pulls in. I unceremoniously dump the mountaineers and go over and say hello, I don't speak Spanish to the road rider. He speaks perfect english and says the riders will be here at 6:30. Riders start to appear. Lots of special hand shakes and they all kiss the woman. 9 men and 1 women take off about 6:35. I have spoken to no one other than buenos días.

Again, pace is more than OK. I just hang at the back. Pace picks up after 10K, I am hanging on fine, the woman and 1 man have dropped back but we are just off the main pack when they all turn at 14K and head back, faster, we 3 fall further behind. After 3K, the 2 I am with turn around again! and head the other way. We again turn back toward Cancun at 14K and again at 11K the woman and man turn around again. Not me, I'm dead, I head home with little bursts of speed. I stop for a stretch and drink at 9K about 8:05 and then am home at 8:40.

So now the routine is set. I probably show up at 6am Monday just in case they did 6:30 only because of Sunday. But if Monday 6 then Tuesday etc should be also. The stretch is that I eat breakfast (strawberries) at like 5:30 and then can't have lunch until 1pm when the real beer places open. That is 7 and 1/2 hungry hours. And on top of that I try to eat dinner starting at 6 to be ahead of reservations and get home for beers and bed.

Day 4

So this is half way. Wed and Saturday count as travel days. I'm here 9 days and have 5 left counting today, but who is counting.

I showed up at 5:50 just to be sure weekday ride did not go early. The first rider came about 6:05. A second came so I joined standing with the two of them. One spoke English and said Monday was a rest day so only he and 2 other crazy amigos were riding. Last one showed a little after 6:15 and we were off. No puddles on the road, same sane pace though I am huffing as we get further out. Instead of doing "circles" these guys went almost to the Cancun airport, over 27K. I came back with them about 4K and then told them that I would drop off. It is a lot of work to keep "pace". I don't go a lot slower on my own but it is so much more enjoyable when I can decided when to dog it and when to push. So, today I did 32k at pace and 54K overall, call it 33 miles. My normal NH coast run is 20. It is interesting to have all the work of the day done by 9am and I just coast until tomorrow 5:30 wake up.

This is the Statue were we turned around. It is after the 27K sign.