We're up just before the 7am alarm, I wheel the bike and carry my permanent bag down to the TDA vans for Vilma, then it's time for breakfast. The courtyard starts filling up with riders just after 8am, bags are loaded onto the vans, riders are doing short practice rides with their bikes, Kathy has her camera operating.
Our convoy heads out the gate at 9:10am, then single file and south along Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt into the city. Sunday morning so road traffic is light, we're going slowly because the convoy gets broken up occasionally by signal light intersections and we have to pull over until all the riders regroup. Ozgur is riding 'sweep' today, so when you see him you know that you're the last rider.
There's a road block at the bridge - a city marathon is being held and there are runners on our planned route. Gergo (who rides a recumbent bicycle with lots of flags and marking tape) does some negotiating with the police and soon we're heading over the bridge with them, cheering crowds, one of the volunteers at a water/refreshment stops even offers us bottles of water as we pedal by. The marathon ends in front of the Hermitage, which is where we also pull over to have a group photo taken: TDA Epic Tour; St. Petersburg to Lison (although some of us are only going half-way). Then our convoy pedals over to the bronze statue of Peter the Great slaying the dragon, and pose for another group photo.
Finally we're done with the formalities and make our way out of town, along narrow canal-side roads and back streets, through an industrial section along the harbour shore, and after 23km Gergo pulls into a shopping centre Macdonald's for rider refreshments and 'pit stop'.
Our north-south 4-lane route intersects an east-west boulevard and we turn west onto a cycling trail that parallels the 4-lane highway.
After 37.8km and about 12:15pm, we turn into the Alexander Hotel, a 3-storey pastel green building that looks like a French villa.
Lunch is already set out on the forecourt, and rooms won't be ready until 2pm, so everybody starts eating, then pull out their cell phones / iPads and start catching up on personal business.
Peter, our TDA mechanic, helps me mount my Garmin computer holder onto the handle bars so I can keep a closer check on distances tomorrow, when we set out on our individual rides and have to follow the flagged route.
My roommate on this trip is Chris Wille from Royal Oak, Saanich, British Columbia. Married with three adult children, he's already done several of the TDA epic rides and this one fitted into his personal schedule. Tonight we're in Room #22 on the second floor, Chris heads out to see the palace at Peterhof so I have my shower, wash my clothes and hang them out on the upstairs railing, then get to work on the blog and photos.
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