Ray and I got up and ate and got to Winterville by 7:45. Laura and Danielle were there, as well as Christy and her family. We set up all the materials, registered about 5 more people, gave out bags to the pre-registered ones, and the ride started. Kate, from the Land Trust, had driven the van, but left it parked at the Marigold Festival somewhere. She gave me the keys and set off on her bike. I sent Nancy to find the van and we packed things up. She came back saying she couldn't find it. Eventually, four of them were looking for the van and I was sitting in the cool morning sun waiting. It took about 45 minutes, but they did find it. Then it was tricky to get back to the Todds' without running afoul of the festival and parade. We did all head down the road before 10. I drove the route, following the directions, and I was a little unsure, pulling off to check, but I did end up at Stop 1 as the last few riders were finishing their break. Ray was there. After a bit, they left and we packed things up. Ray drove the truck with the coolers and all in it and I followed him. We quickly caught up to the last riders (Nathan and Kate), followed closely by the First Aid van driven by Mike R. We carefully went around them and all the other riders as we caught up to them. It was a beautiful drive, although getting hotter quickly. The van's AC doesn't seem to work very well.

As we got near the second stop, vehicles with sirens and flashing lights passed, and I said to myself, over and over, "Please, God, don't let it be a rider..." but of course it was. When we got to the second stop, Christy had just gotten a phone call. She sent us ahead to the third stop, but we soon passed the scene. Nancy's car was there, a few cyclists, and many emergency vehicles. We just drove on by, since there was nothing we could do that wasn't being done. We couldn't really see how the person was. I felt terrible, like I wished I had nothing to do with this event, because without a bike ride, there couldn't have been an accident. My prayer changed to, "Please don't let him be badly hurt..." Perhaps this prayer worked better. It was a while before we heard that, although badly bruised and in pain, the 25-year-old man was released from the hospital that afternoon. I hope that this incident will not cause him or the friends riding with him to give up on cycling. It did cast a bit of gloom over the other riders.

In general, feedback was very good. Things went well. Ray was a trooper. There was plenty of food and drink. We had a couple of guys cramp up, probably from not drinking enough Gatorade. Water alone will quench thirst, but riding in the heat requires lots of electrolytes. The first aid man was awesome too, bringing up the very end (Nathan, Kate, and two others). After a suitable period of drinking beverages (and eating), we packed up and brought the last few riders back to Winterville.

We drove home, showered and dressed, and headed to dinner with Janna, Ron, Francesca, and Kent at Farm 255. We had a good dinner and a fun time, although their hard seats were uncomfortable, especially for Ron, and Ray did not like his steak much. We stopped by my parents briefly, and headed home to pack.