Welcome back, ya'll. Last weekend was the Spring Break ride from Austin to Corpus Christi. In three days, we covered roughly 225 miles. It was an adventure to say the least, and probably our first chance to see what it's going to be like averaging 75 miles a day throughout the summer.

We left the UT campus on a chilly Saturday morning. The day was turning out to be a pretty nice one. The sun was shining, the tacos in Buda were hot and delicious... that is, until a small group of us got lost! We wound up going about 15 miles out of the way. Those of you who know me personally understand my lack of patience, so this was somewhat a trying experience. Finally we got to camp, showered, and were treated to some of the best Fajitas I've ever had. I am thrilled that our team has so many great cooks. If we continue to have meals of this quality this summer, I'm afraid I'll come back a little chubbier than before.

That night a few of us decided that we would sleep out under the stars and enjoy the clear Schertz, TX sky. The only problem was my sleeping bag was ill-equipped this 37 degree cold night. Sometimes, 'always low prices' just doesn't cut it. Throughout the night I had to get up and sprint around the park to warm up, and some people that I was 'Il ladri di Biciclette.' Which was quite funny to me. Also, I got to discover some of my teammates sleeping habits: we have a few light snorers, one or two mumblers, and one whimperer?...

Anyway, the next day was the 100 mile day. What this day lacked in downhills it made up for in 40 mph winds... Needless, to say it was tough. Once we got to the church in Beeville, however, I don't think anybody had a problem putting the day's ride behind them as we were overwhelmed with some good 'ole Beeville hospitality. As soon as we walked in the church patronage started bringing out trays of snacks, which lasted all of 30 seconds. Also, Lauren used her connections to hook most of us up with showers at some UT almni's houses around the town. This was awesome. We got hot showers, I sat in a massage chair, and Rob found out what the deal was. Later we went back to the church, ate some delicious spaghetti and promptly passed out.

Finally, monday, the last day, was gorgeous! I spent the whole day riding and talking with my teammates and when there was nobody near I just sang songs to myself to pass the time. We really couldn't have asked for a better day. My disposition probably reached it's summit when we were riding along and suddenly Val yelled, "Beach!!" I've never been so happy to see the Gulf of Mexico. I think we all felt pretty great and like we had accomplished the impossible when we sat on that beach, toes in the sand, watching the tide roll in and comparing farmers' tans. After a while, our friend Murphy showed up and a hurricane pretty much vomited on us. The spectacle of everyone trying to load bikes into the trailer and protect their gear, while trying to remain dry and not get blown away, was one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen. Though we were all pretty uncomfortable, most of us were laughing and having a great time. They say you grow closer to people after traumatic experiences... maybe it's true.

All in all, this was an amazing ride, throughout all the tough experiences, most of us walked away feeling like we had really bonded with many of the other riders. Over these three days we went from being Texas 4000 teammates, to real friends. I look forward to all the craziness that this summer will bring.