On Saturday I rode in the Athens Quilt Barn Ride. I had initially planned to only ride the 30 mile route, but our riding group finished around 10:30 and we still felt fresh. We decided to take on the additional 26 mile optional route, and the experience turned out to be epic.

First, a little video of the ride, featuring Jake, Chris, Kevin, Andrew, and me.

2009 Athens Quilt Barn Ride from Chad on Vimeo.

This video is also available on YouTube and Blip.tv.

The route:

At the end of the day, my odometer read 52 miles. This was the longest I have ever ridden on a bicycle, and I believe it was the longest trip for everyone in our group except Andrew. As you can tell from the video, the hills began to hurt a little more later in the day, but we encouraged each other and had a great time. The only thing I would do differently for the next ride is wear sunscreen and bring more food. I only brought two protein bars for the trip, and I was bonking pretty bad at mile 45 or so. Overall an awesome ride, and I’m looking forward to riding some more with those guys.