Sunday turned out to be a pretty lazy day for me. My original plan had been that I would ride again Sunday morning, but it became more and more clear after Saturday’s ride that I had overdone something in my left leg. I think I’ve pulled or somehow tweaked my hamstring. Perhaps it would loosen up upon riding again, but my suspicion is I’d just make it worse, and it seemed the better decision to not risk additional injury.

So I slept a little later and made a big pot of coffee in the morning, and rolled down the road to Tanglewood arriving at around 9:30. I missed the riders departing, but was there in time to see many of them returning. I joined some fans and spectators on the bleachers cheering and waving as the riders crossed the finish line. I especially enjoyed the couple with the cowbell who setup a few hundred yards further up the road before the finish line. They gave us nice advance warning of riders approaching before they emerged from the trees and down the hillside to the finish. I made a mental note to get my own cowbell for next year. I know from experience how much of a reward it is to cross the finish line and have people there cheering and clapping for you. It helps take the sting out of the tail of the ride.

I kept my eye out for anyone wearing the Team Polo jersey, but didn’t see anyone. Eventually I did see one teammate come by. It was our team captain, Russ. He was wearing one of the Bike MS jerseys from a prior year. I tracked him down a short while later at our team tent which he was in the process of dismantling so I pitched in and gave him a hand pulling it down and loading into his truck.

After we had it loaded I limped over and grabbed some lunch, which they had just begun serving. After that I headed back over and cheered a few more riders coming in. I saw one more teammate who had just finished her 50 mile ride for Sunday. She did back to back 50’s on Saturday and Sunday. Great job, Bonnie!

It seemed like people were coming in and just heading straight for the exits, maybe grabbing some lunch, but not hanging around in groups like the day before. So I decided I’d head on out too.

All in all it was a great event this year. The weather was definitely better than last, although it got a bit hotter than I had hoped for on Saturday. Sunday turned out to be about perfect for the morning. The incoming rain held off until the afternoon, although I heard a few reports that it was windier on the course than the previous day.

I’ve thought of a few things I might like to do a little differently next year, but I think we had a great event. The team grew by leaps and bounds this year, as did our fundraising. I hope next year we continue to have some growth and even more participation, maybe I’ll talk some of my non-Polo friends into joining our team. I know it won’t be very long before I start thinking again about fundraising for next year, but I’m going to take at least a few weeks to relax and occupy myself with other activities. I’ve got a stack of magazines and books piled up that have been on the back burner and require my attention, and it’s looking like my leg might keep me off the bike for a few weeks anyway.

Thanks to everyone for your interest and support. See you next year for Tanglewood 2011!