Casa Grande, AZ — After my race I rode back to the car where Ted was getting ready. He had gotten me a feedzone pass so I could feed him during his race. I also talked to the girls and they requested feeds as well. I drove to the feedzone and parked in a good spot. I also got a call from Heather and found out that she made the flights she was supposed to so she was already in Phoenix! Her mom’s still looking for retirement communities so she had driven down the day before. So her mom drove down and dropped Heather off at the feedzone so we could hang out. Heather setup my bike on the trainer in the shade so she could get a ride in while I waited for Ted and the girls feeds.

I fed Ted twice and the girls once with no mishaps. It was fun watching all the groups go by. I also met a few people in the feedzone and chatted with them for a while. Then I went to the finish to watch the Pro/1 and Senior 2 fields come in. Ted popped off the lead group halfway up the climb so he lost some more time today. Heather ended up riding in the feedzone for 2:40! I’ve always said she has the “trainer” gene. Give her a trainer and she’s one happy camper!

The girls had a good race and avoided all the crashes. There were seven crashes in total in the women’s field! Betsy stayed with the lead group the whole race, but Laura and Trish got popped of at times. Coming in to the finish, Betsy was in good position, but didn’t get top three for a time bonus. Laura was only a minute back and Trish was suffering further behind. From the sounds of her cough, she’s definitely got something going on in her lungs.

We all went to dinner tonight at a local Italian restaurant. It was a blast with the conversation going all over the place. It was good to be there with Heather, as I was getting a little homesick. The dinner was a fun stress relief after two days of racing.