4:45AM Let me get one thing into the open… 2 person tents are very cramped when filled with the following things: 2 sleeping bags, 2 adult humans, 2 bags that each weight 30lbs., shoes, helmets and a lot of attitude. CRAMPED, party of 2!

Now, you wouldn't think it would be such a pain in the ass to get ready and out the starting block by 6:30am…but it is. After not being able to find my bike (I really only looked for about one minute) and making Elena find it (after about 10 minutes), we finish stretching, bickering, and just plain feeling good. The reason… the second your ass touches that seat again WOW is that a sensation! Pain Much? We set off at 7AM.

Today is what the cult refers to as a CENTURY DAY because its over 100 miles. We were psyched. Ready to win win win or at least make it to lunch. Again, Sam (aka. Miss RiderMcRidesalot) decides we aren't good enough for her and takes off without us. Fuck her. And so they became 3, until lunchtime when we ran into her sitting beneath a tree.

We hit the first couple Pits in no time. We were feeling good about the day…good timing, good energy, even better company (except for that whining Armando behind me). OH MY GOD I CANT BELIEVE I HAVENT MENTIONED THAT FOR THE FIRST 2 DAYS ARMANDO RODE HIS BIKE WITH THE SEAT WAY TOO LOW AND HE LOOKED LIKE THE WICKED WITCH FROM THE WIZARD OF OZ. Some guy passes us early in the day and tells Armando to raise his seat, it can really do a number on his knees…blahblahblah. I am now pissed because Elena and I thought it was the funniest thing on earth to watch him ride. Oh well, yet another good thing ruined.

So we're putzing along the L.I.S. (Long Island Sound) and I pull over to take a picture. Elena stops, dismounts her bike and jets lets go. The bike tumbles into the street and I got this pic as she forced it upright. Rather humorous.

MOST TOLD STORY ALERT#2! Armando is poised with a group of people about 2 blocks up. We stop AGAIN and this stop has an incredible house in the middle of the water. We, of course, demand a pic. A rider (female) stops us and asks if we would like any of her pelvis shaped brownie? She unveils a hostess cupcake looking brownie that has been flattened pancake-like. Dan: Do you mind if I just bite into it? Woman: YES I look at her stunned (seriously I was shocked for some reason) Dan: REALLY? Woman: YEAH Dan: OOOOOO-KAY (and I stab my index finger into the choco-mess and pull out a scoop then lick my finger and walk away). How odd, she I am sure hated me.

MOST TOLD STORY ALERT#3(long)! Again, its about 400degrees and murder sunshine, hot much? Armando somehow wiggles himself under a 4'x4' tent and is sitting in the middle of all the people on a chair. Elena and I squeeze in as well. I bitched about something (shocker) and then we noticed this cutie gay kid wearing way too tight grey bike shorts. He was funny… BLAKE is from Louisiana. Blake is the manager of BR (Banana Republic for the common man) and he so fits that bill. I noticed that he had a sticker on his ID lamanent that none of us had. Turns out to be a "PRESS STICKER". When Armando presses, we discover he is not press, he is allowed to talk to press. All I could think was, why don't I have one - Media and talking, my 2 favorite things. When we finally leave lunch. We are fooling ourselves into believing we can make it the rest of the day. YEAH RIGHT, when we pull into then next Pit Stop we call it a day. Now, this journey was 110 miles. Around mile 80something we were done and ready to hang out. We had like 30 miles left and we hear it's a killa. [Not a wham bam thank you man it's a thilla… IT'S A KILLA.] There is Blake on his cellphone prancing around the porta-potties. Armando and Elena point him out. He notices us so I scream out: HEY BLAKE WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO? CNN? Blake replies: "NO, OPRAH" I SCREAM: "TELL THAT BITCH TO FUCK OFF FOR ME" well I might as well have asked if plaids go with paisley… about 100 people whip their heads around and give me a look. WHAT???

About 14 hours later the SAG BUS shows up (30 minutes at the most). We pile into the bus and they start playing NURSE BETTY! I was so excited. We all were. Then…

MOST TOLD STORY ALERT#4! …WHIRLWIND blows into the seat in front of Armando and I. She seemed like a virtually normal girl. Well, when that mouth opened it didn't stop for about 12 minutes. She was telling us how amazing we were and that there is no shame is getting SAG'd… believe me, there was no shame on the 4 of us. We didn't care at all. She was crazy talking. Then when we are driving up a hill we saw SMOKER, this guy smoked every mile and was somehow always in front of us. We pointed him out and she chimes in about how some old woman who smoked passed her and the next thing we know she has told us that this poor old woman should die of cancer. A JIGGA WHAT? She tore up that bus verbally then passed out as if giving birth. Needless to say we saw her on Day 4 and she looked like a truck smacked her dead. She was through… oh well.

About 10 minutes before the movie ends we pull into UCONN. In the time since WHIRLWIND passed out and UCONN we had gotten lost, almost killed a motorist the bus driver ran off the road and I am pretty sure I almost pissed myself.

Dinner: Tofu Stir-Fry with rice and éclairs… Yummy.

After dinner there was Karaoke. Elena's brother met us for dinner. He was having more fun than anyone else on the ride during Karaoke. It started poorly, ended poorly but somewhere in between were a few gems. One man got up and sang "Your Song" by Elton John. It was a friggin show stopper. The man was incredible, perfect voice and just damn good. Now, we are all sitting there hoping he belts out some Moulin Rouge/Ewan McGregor "Your Song" and we were not let down. He mixed the two version beautifully and the crowd went NUTS! Next, our friend BRAD got up and brought the house down with his dead on, word for word rendition of "Baby Got Back". Who knew?