Had a great time at the "Byers Bike Bash" this weekend.
First off I'd like to thank my friend Robert for helping to make the weekend the good time it was.
Mrbill enjoyed the Days Inn Suites, a step up from mrbill's usual accommodations, definitely no blood on the walls, even had a continental breakfast that had items to eat for someone who needs Gluten free meals.

As I was driving to Wichita Falls on Friday I drove thru rain the last half of the trip and the rain finally stopped as I pulled into the hotel parking lot, it appeared that they had had a lot of rain.
The skys weren't looking promising for a dry Bike ride on Saturday but that was fine with me, I was going to ride.
Saturday morning we wake up and find that it's a light mist but no rain, we pack up and head for Byers, about 20 miles away.
We pull into Byers and still no rain, hey what's up, I wanted Rain.
Robert and I got registered, put our bikes together, talked to some folks and then headed for the start line.
I did manage to see Richard and Jeff who I rode with last year, I got the feeling one of their objectives this year was to finish ahead of me.

Why me, as we're waiting at the start line this attractive young lady and the guy with a camera come up to us, she moves next to me and the guy asked if they can take a picture with me, Robert started moving out of view, he was supposed to be in it too, me, I just put my arm around the gal and smiled, and proceeded to have my photo taken.
I found that this guy was the photographer for the ride and we are guessing the gal must have been Miss Byers, another first for mrbill, why didn't this kind of thing happen to me when I was thirty?

Then a young lady does a real fine job on the National Anthem and then were off, the weather is perfect, low 60's, cloudy and light wind, and no rain.

Robert hasn't been riding much so I realize that if I want to ride with him I'm going to be in the back of the ride so I decide to have some fun at the first.
As we start out I'm pedaling along and all of a sudden Jeff is beside me, "Hey, how's it going Jeff?", "hey, mrbill, there you are, we were looking for you", and Richard is just behind Jeff.
We cruise along for a minute and then the little voices in my head say, lets have some fun, I tell Jeff, "hey lets pick it up a bit", I pull forward, cut to the left and start moving past other folks going for pack #2, with Jeff, Richard and several others on my wheel.
Our group is doing well, I'm feeling good and do a long pull that puts us as second pack, we're rolling and having fun, love to hear the rubber on the road when your in a pack.
I'm not Lance and I realize I'm not going to pull these guys for 45 miles at 20 mph so I motion with my left hand that I'm cutting out and then I cut to the left to let the train by, I wait and wait, then look behind me, no ones coming around, they cut to the left the same time I did and there still on my wheel, what to do now, someone doesn't understand how this works.
I finally get the group to move forward and then I decide to ease up and see if Robert is coming, several people pass me and I don't see Robert, I'm getting antsy, finally a group comes by that looks good, a group of five, I hook up.
This is a good group and it's not long before we pick up Richard, who was dropped by Jeff and then not long after Jeff comes into view.

We pull into the first Rest Stop I wanted to spend some time riding with Robert so I decide to stop and wait for him, this is extremely hard for me to do, watch my group ride off, this is also where the turn for the 62 mile route takes off, as my group moves off on the 45 mile route, I holler at them that they missed their turn, they holler some obscenities, I laugh.
After a short wait Robert comes riding up and he doesn't stop which makes me a happy camper, I mount up and take off.
I've come to enjoy the type of riding I do next, I get Robert on my wheel and pull him until he needs a break, then we take it easy until he's ready to go again.
This takes a certain amount of motivation on my part, as we passed 3 people I was giving Robert a few motivational words and one of the folks says, "hey man, that guy is going to work you to death", I tell him that there's a fine line between "Motivation" and "Harassment", they get a good laugh out of that.
As Robert and I ride along we manage to pick up a few folks but there's one guy Robert just can't seem to shake, we named him "Bigboy" for obvious reasons.
At the last rest-stop as were getting a drink, in pulls Bigboy, his helmet cocked sideways and looking kind of spent.
We pull out and I get on down the road so I can use the "Porto john" which is about a mile down the road from the rest-stop.
As I'm exiting the Johnny, Robert rides past and by the time I get ready to ride here comes Bigboy, uh oh.
I mount up and take off, I catch Bigboy and tell him that I've got to go get Robert, so off I go. When I get up to Robert I tell him that Bigboy is coming, I look back and sure enough, he is gaining.
I tell Robert that he has to get going, that he can't let Bigboy get him, finally as Bigboy gets closer the little voices in my head tell me Robert or not I can't let Bigboy pass me so I decide to go ahead and get serious and I leave the scene, put my head down and go for it, about 7 miles from the finish.
I pull into town and cross the finish line and then decide I want to go back out on the course and see who is winning the battle between Robert and Bigboy, as I'm about a mile out of town I see someone coming, I stop and get my camera out, if I get Bigboy in my lens first, Robert will never hear the end of it.
When the rider gets close enough I realize it's Robert, I'm tickled, the boy done it.
I asked Robert what happened after I left, he said Bigboy actually got him and got a good lead but about a third of the way up the Big Hill into town Robert got him.

We ride into town and get our bikes put up and head up town for Hamburgers, I see Bigboy and tell him he had a good ride, which he did, the guy rode with a lot of heart.
As we get our burgers I spot Ed Self who I met on the ride, Ed is the organizer for the "Hale On Wheels" ride in Plainview, Tx. which is held in September, we have a nice visit. I would like to do his ride as I have relatives about 15 miles from Plainview, that would mean a drive nearly all the way across Texas, we'll have to see.

Later at the Hotel Robert says to me, "hey Bill, I think we may need to rethink our visits, do we always have to do a damn 50 mile bike ride, can't we just visit some time and talk and drink?"
I try to explain to Robert that it's fun and we're staying in shape, doing something 90 percent of the population can't do, he doesn't seem to comprehend, but he'll be back, and back on my wheel.

I still can't believe I got Robert on the bike Sunday morning for a fifteen mile ride around Wichita Falls before heading home.
It was a great ride and a great weekend, looking forward to it next year, hopefully Teresa can make it next year.