Training Ride Update:

Over the weekend we had our group training ride and cookout to get pumped up for the MS Ride in July.

It was hosted by one of our team members, who has a beautiful home in Villa Hills, KY. Note that I said Villa Hills, so yep you can bet there were lots of hills along the ride!

Now about those hills, I've been riding my Dolce on many occasions and was feeling that I was pretty ready for the MS Ride, however after this past weekend's ride, I feel like I've been hit by a bus! I tried riding up a road called Amsterdam Rd. and boy was it an eye opener....talk about some serious windy hills. 

It seemed like it was never going to end and I felt like I was never going to make it to flat road. I didn't even make it a quarter a the way up the hill and had to get off and walk the bike the rest of the way up the hill! I was really bummed to have to get off the bike, but I still felt like I was getting a work out...at one point I was dripping with so much sweat, I'm sure I lost 5 pounds!

I have to admit that I didn't feel well the whole ride...but I powered through it and even though I had to walk up Amsterdam Rd., I did finish out the ride on the bike and overall it felt good to power through the tough parts.

I'm sure the cookout was great, but I was so beat from the hill & not feeling so great that we had to leave early. I certainly didn't want to be sick in front of everyone!!

The MS Ride is only 2 weeks away and after this ride I'm leaning toward the 50 miles each day, but we'll see how I'm feeling on Day 1 of the ride! Hopefully I'll feel better and at least try to ride the 75 miles on the first day....then maybe 50 miles the second day?!?!

Click this link to my fundraising page if you're interested in making a donation to the MS Society.

 

Rabbit Hash...Where's That?

I'm glad you asked ... Rabbit Hash is a tiny river town in KY, that has a dog for it's mayor! That's right, Junior, a black lab was elected mayor of this town back in 2004. Over 3,000 people voted for this playful pup. Junior is known for his public appearances where you can offer him a shake of the paw or even a scratch behind the ear!


You may still be wondering how I know about this delightful town, well it was on a training ride a few weekends ago that my biking buddies and I rode into this area. We were enjoy the beautiful morning riding along these back country roads when we pulled up the the Rabbit Hash General Store for a quick stop to rest our tired legs. (See pic below)


Now you see it's not just Junior that makes this town so unique. The General Store is celebrating over 175 years in business. So you can just imagine all the "characters" that have walked in & out of this great shop! The store offers many authentic Kentucky items and Rabbit Hash memorbilia. They even list several 'barn dances" on the event calendar whero locals gather to stomp their feet to some real authentic country & blue grass music. The afternoon we rode through, a guy was setting up a huge grill to throw on some hot dogs and burgers to sell to patrons that frequently stop by this gem of a town. It's not only a popular spot for cyclists, it also ranks high on the list of stops for many motorcyclists traveling though these beautiful KY roads.


If you ever find yourself in Rabbit Hash, take a little time to check out this unique town. Pull over, stop off and say hey to Junior, the Mayor, and visit the General Store for some really great people watching and relaxing time along the Ohio river.

Update on Junior, the Mayor of Rabbit Hash
5/29/08:
Junior's owner reports that the lovable black lab has passed away. Just 2 days shy of his 13th birthday, Junior died on May 17th. I learned that in 2006, Animal Planet aired a special about Junior and his life as Mayor of Rabbit Hash.