Success!

As David noted, we made it! We got a great send-off from our wives and significant others and then had the surprise of Carl and Fred pulling us for the first 50 miles to Denton. What a great way to start a long ride! I'm glad to hear I'm a good story teller. Reading between the lines, I think it means I talk too much. In any event, Phillips Patron-inspired miraculous recovery was a real blessing. Having three along for the ride made it much more tolerable. Other than a sore rear end after day one, and fading legs on long climbs after about 70 miles each day, I felt better than I expected I would. We made great time on day 1, considering the amount of climbing we had. Day one was 107.23 miles in 5:36 for an average speed of 19.1 mph with 4,789 feet of climbing. Day two was 100.34 miles in 5:35 for an average speed of 18.0 with 2,083 feet of climbing. We had a nagging headwind all day on days 2 and 3. Day 3 was 61.72 miles in 3:19 for an average speed of 18.6 with 1,045 feet of climbing. So, the overall trip was 269.29 miles in 14.5 hours for an 18.6 overall average with 7,917 feet of climbing. Not too bad considering the headwinds and Phillips eye problem on day 3. I'm looking forward to the next challenge.