Ride around Oahu 123 miles

Yesterday several HACC members decided they would join up with Scott to ride around the island. At the last minute Scott's plans changed, however the wheels were already in motion and 13 riders headed out on a journey around Oahu. Only 1 flat tire and a couple injured riders that ran into each other was enough drama for the day. Several individuals were only riding to Kailua and back (80) miles and the remaining 8 riders continue our journey around the island as you can see by the red line below. Overall 123 miles, 7hrs 23 minutes & 7780 calories later we were home. What an experience. One of the riders stated " Once you have ridden around the island the first time, you are forever changed".
Here is the entire group on our way to Kailua

Here we are headed through downtown Waikiki
As you can see the chart below it is a relatively flat ride until we got to mile 90 and took on Pineapple hill with an elevation of over 1000 ft. Add 90 deg heat and a strong head wind made this very tough climb both physically and mentally. Thanks to John for all the coaching/pulling along the way. Just when I would start thinking are we there yet, he would come along and get me refocused on getting to the next water stationI listen to Ben regarding proper nutrition and hydration for this trip and it paid off. I consumed 2675 calories, 450 grams of carbs, 104 grams of Protein and drank 224 oz of water or 1.75 gallons (I didn't need to use the bathroom the entire ride). I also took 10 Electrolyte tablets to aid in replenishment of much needed electrolytes and minerals. When I returned home I was feeling pretty good about my accomplishment and even better when I noticed I weighed the exact same as I did in the morning which told me I accomplished my goal of proper nutrition/hydration.