It was quite nice out, in the low 60s to start out and getting to about 80 by the end of the ride, very nice considering it's November. Just before the start, I saw one of my friends from work. After the ride, we talked some, he was in the lead group for the whole ride. The ride was a bit tougher than he thought it would be. He had a GPS and measured 3800' of climbing in the ride. It seemed more, but perhaps it was more, steeper climbs that made it more arduous. The LSC last week claims 6000' of climbing, but this ride felt tougher.
I stayed with the 'lead' group for probably 25 miles before they dropped me, and caught up to them at both rest stop #4 (in Sisterdale) and stop #5 at Old Tunnel WMA. They left the rest stop before me and I never saw them again. From this stop on to the end, I rode with one other guy, each of us taking turns in the lead. My impression was he did more leading but he thought it was about equal. In any case, it was good for both of us, to keep our speed up and work a bit less when drafting. After rest stop #6 in Luckenbach, I felt low on energy, I thought I was eating and drinking enough, but perhaps not. The final rest stop was on a side road right next to the Blanco River. The river is extremely low and in some spots looked completely dry (but that may have been tributaries).
After the ride, BBQ was provided in the Blanco town square, I had some brisket, sausage, beans and bread. Real Ale was also providing some beer (I believe the Firemans #4 Blonde Ale), it hit the spot after the long ride.
