In the past Tour of the Scioto River Valley was held on Mother's Day weekend, so I always had to choose between my non-cycling wife or a bike ride. This year the folks at Columbus Outdoor Pursuits moved the date to the following weekend. The opportunity presented itself, so I registered early (rider 88) and marked it on the calendar. At 4:30am I packed my gear and bike in the car and left Toledo for my first ever TOSRV. Columbus is hell to drive around during normal hours, but if you arrive early enough and there aren't as many crazies on the road. I arrived to check-in at Heimat Haus at around 7am. At first the gentleman couldn't find my packet, but a nice lady found it for me eventually (since I had a t-shirt I also got a nifty reusable shopping bag). It was a cool, misty morning, temperature in the 50's with almost no wind. The day promised to be cloudy with some sun later on, warming up to the mid 70's with a slight headwind. Police regulated traffic at start, so rolling out was easy. I had the route loaded in my Garmin and admittedly too much gear in my jersey pockets (who needs two jackets on a 70 degree day?). Coming up to the first turn, I didn't see any road markings. In fact, a group of riders coming back to the turn didn't either. This was problem throughout the ride. The road markings were there, but they were not easy to spot. The Saturday route was marked in white paint, yellow for Sunday. The markings were small and faded compared to other ride marking techniques. Thankfully I did not have to rely on the route markings. The roads were in decent shape. Some had grooved pavement, a few potholes, but otherwise not nearly as bad as Michigan roads. The route is fairly flat with one steep climb, one long-ish climb, and a few rolling hills. The one steep climb was a detour for a road that was under construction. Some folks decided to go around the barriers and take the flat route, missing out on the only challenging part of the course. Support for the ride was awesome. Police, State Highway Patrol, SAG vehicles, and amateur radio folks were all very visible along the route. There were three strategically placed rest areas (Circleville, Chilicothe, and Waverly) with more than enough snack selections, Gatorade, coffee, and water. Lunch included fried chicken and potato salad, cold cuts, tuna salad, and more. The volunteers were always cheerful, friendly, and helpful. The riders were mostly friendly and considerate. A few groups of riders were like a group of gnats, crossing double yellow and unresponsive to "on your left" and "please move right". There were riders of all skill levels and quite a few children. I arrived at Tracy Park to riders enjoying brats, dogs, water, and beer. The sun was strong the last 20 or so miles and everyone was drenched in sweat. The amenities were not complimentary, so I hopped back on the bike and pedaled to Portsmouth High School for a shower and to set up my bedding. I laid down to rest and then woke up to the roar of rainfall on the roof of the gym. There were many riders that were not as lucky as I. Drenched and weary, they were still rolling into the high school an hour later. A shuttle took us to All Saints Episcopal Church for a huge portion of spaghetti, salad, and desert. The dinner and hospitality was well worth the $10 suggested donation. Sleeping in a high school gym full of grown men has its challenges. Snoring, farting, and all sorts of other sounds echoed throughout the room. Thankfully I had earplugs as the guy next to me snored like a chainsaw. With day 1 complete, I fell asleep hoping my legs would be ready for day 2.