So me and Robert and about 3000 other riders participated in the 2013 Gran Fondo – I had never done it, so I figured I’d give it a try. I have to say…definitely not impressed…from the parking disorganization to the lack of support…$40-$50 for a chicken burrito and some classical music…bleh! I have to say it was a nice scenic route – despite the touch N-S stretches in the wind. If you ask me if I would do it again…nah! While there were no trains of unannounced Houston DangerousDumbHeads….there were too many dangerous riders for me.
So the day begin with a question….?
Where is Kip?! 
Even though it was her birthday, Kip couldn’t make it because she hurt her knee. The route was quite nice and the temperature was great! The best part of this ride was that it was sponsored by Bike Barn and Clif – so we got to see some good friends and get some great cycling nutrition. Speaking of good friends, we met Sam at one of the rest stops and rode with her for awhile, but when I got behind her, I really had to question the judgment of the organizers…seriously? What are they thinking?!
But I suppose it was consistent with our overall experience.
The flowers were in full bloom along this route and Robert couldn’t help but notice that the Coreopsis made a nice backdrop for the super cool Cajun Cyclist gear was dressed in.
The Clif Zone rest stop around 35 miles was fun – even if it was on the top of a steep grade.
While I was there I just couldn’t help but ask whether my bike made me look fat – what do you think? We decided to stop and sit down a little way from the rest stop and we heard something extraordinary – this lady passed us into the wind head back down the hill and yelled “Oh Man! Whip Me!” as she passed us – as you can imagine, Robert and I handled it well…
The ride back gave us some wind and was a challenge, but we made it in non-record time. At the last rest stop, we enjoyed the music at the rest stop (there was live music at most rest stops); it was terrific having live entertainment, but when I got 50 feet away and realized I had a flat, it sure would have been nice to have the mechanic there instead of the guitarist – yep, not a mechanic or a wrench or a pump…burned a CO2 cartridge, but made up the difference with a couple Clif Bars.
Nice route, but I think Camp For All would have been money better spent.
2013 Gran Fondo - 04-07-2013
