Day 1 - July 20 Alba, Pa to Sayre, PA

Our highly anticipated day for embarking on our Lifecycle challenge ride finally dawned as we gathered in Lancaster and made the three-hour journey to our starting point in Alba, PA capturing the moment with a group photo, naturally.

We began with a cohort of 8 youngsters, accompanied by 4 ride leaders, and Grace, our exceptional support and sag wagon driver. Fortunately, after days of scorching heat, we were blessed with splendid weather and gentle breezes. The 38-mile route featured undulating terrain, interspersed with occasional tough climbs every 7 or 8 miles.

Our group naturally split into two factions: a swifter contingent and another more inclined to admire the scenery and engage in conversation, though both groups maintained a brisk pace.

I plan to gather daily reflections from various riders. Today, Elijah rode with the faster group and performed admirably. He found the pace comfortable overall, but admitted the climbs posed a challenge.

Personally, I was very happy with the pace in the slower group. The pace these youngsters can maintain is pretty challenging, but I have been able to feel comfortable.

The video included on this post is us taking off from our starting point.Read more