Day 2: Cooler, Flat, Windy

 Day 2: 124.5 Miles
Weight Watchers Points earned: 103

My second day is in the books.  It was a tough day... but a good one.  124.5 miles and a personal record for longest ride. I am truly honored to be riding with this group of LEU cyclists.
We headed out from Benson, NC this am with "wheels rolling" at 6:20AM.  The weather was much cooler this morning which (for me) was a pleasant surprise because it can get hot and muggy when traveling through the farmlands of NC.  The route took us to Goldsboro, Kinston, and finally to Rocky Mount and to quote a friend "I don't like to drive that far in a car."

In Goldsboro we met the mother of Deputy Sheriff David Jennings Dawson, III and members of the Goldsboro Police Department.  We were cheered on by a few heading to church and even got a "The Lord be with you."  Man did that come in handy!

From Goldsboro we rode (without a stop) to Kinston, NC which seemed like forever.  We typically stop every 15 -20 miles but we were pushing 30 and I apparently didn't eat enough.   I managed to pull it together and grind it out to lunch... It's tough to complain when these guys have been doing this for 6-7 days and this is only my second.  Kinston was a really nice stop, the route they brought us in was really nice with dog parks, nature park, and our end point was Pearson Park.  I had the honor of meeting the wife and aunt of Detective Rickie Allen Pearson, Jr.  Between Team Pierson, Lenoir County Sheriffs Department, and the FOP, they fed us well and had nice time.

The second part of the day (approx 50 miles) I really had to dig deep.  The winds were strong but the roads were relatively flat and the sun came out but nothing scorching.  Again, it was tough to complain because I was surrounded by "beasts" who have been doing this for 6-7 days.  I got some encouraging words from some of the guys around me and I had to really dig deep to get to the finish, and a I did.  My inspiration was Jason saying "c'mon fatboy" and then knowing that Mom, Chantel, Ashely, Zackary, Mr. & Mrs. Silver, and Ricky Parks were going to part of the dinner festivities.  My ass is a bit sore though.

Arriving in Rocky Mount we were greeted by the wife of Investigator Warren Basco "Sneak" Lewis, III.  Always sad to meet the first year survivors.  It's cool to see the LEU team interact with them with hand shakes, hugs, patches, and pins... and you could see that she was truly humbled by the experience. As a survivor myself, I could see the lost person inside trying to figure out what in the world is going on now...

Dinner was a great time.  Rocky Mount Police Department provided a chicken dinner with Mashed potatoes, green beans, and BANANA PUDDING.  Not only was it good to share my family with the LEU team, it was especially nice to see Mr. & Mrs. Silver, the parents of  Police Officer Alan Christopher Silver who died just two weeks after Jason.  They are most appreciative of my efforts to keep their son's memory alive.  While I didn't know him, after getting to know his parents I can only imagine he was a special person.

Tomorrow's a big day on the bike.  We'll go through Greenville... and then on to Edenton.  108 miles planned