Midnight Madness 2010

This year because of all the riding she has been doing we thought Elli could handle Midnight Madness. The course is 20 miles, but I identified two places that we could cut out if needed to make it more like 10. Elli was very motivated and took the weeks before the ride to train, riding whenever she was allowed.

We found a hotel room right at the start and finish line because we did not want to have to drive back to Idyllwild at 3 A.M. It was a great idea and we will do the same next year if we go.

The first thing we saw out of our Hotel window was a hole in the wall Mexican food place. Perfect:

We took a nap until about 9:00 pm, then started getting ready:
Charity ride race face:
Excited face:
Then we got out there and hung out, watched the bike decorating contests, drank free power waters, and listened to the DJ:

A nice lady gave Elli some glow sticks to decorate herself with. Note the cow in the background:

Almost ready to go:

Elli would not hear of taking the two shortcuts I had planned and rode every inch of the 20 miles. She was the hit of the event, and the youngest person we saw there riding under her own power. People came up to us all night cheering her on. She was told she was "My Hero" more times than I can remember. It was very cool. Even the drunks leaving the bars downtown were cheering for her as we neared the finish. We had a great time and you are all welcome to join us next year!