I know that you have 'cause there's magic in my eyes
I can (ride) for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles."
- Loosely appropriated from Pete Townsend, The Who
Yes. We made it to Niles, OH.
We've been traveling in this amazingly good (but hot) weather bubble for many days now, and today that bubble burst. This was day 6 of a 7 day string and it was the third day in a row we rode over 90 miles (102, 98, and 94). We may be in fairly good shape, but we are tired. Looking forward to getting to Erie, PA, tomorrow and our last rest day of the tour.
The day was overcast and in mid 70's. After a couple hours on the road or about 40 miles in, the gray skies decided to dump their water. For about two hours, the rain came in torrents. Despite putting on rain jackets but we were soaked through. We did slog on since there was no lightening and temps were tolerable. There were some nasty stretches with narrow side lanes on rather busy highways, but I just focused on maintaining straight lines, riding with ample space between next riders to accommodate longer braking distances with wet brakes and paying attention to the road. It was just a minor speed bump in a great number of superior riding days. I did manage to have a good day considering it all.
But not without some minor mishaps. There were several railroad track crossings in this leg. In the best of conditions crossing them is always a bit dicey. When wet, it's another magnitude of crazy. There was one section of a double set of tracks at an angle to the highway. Four riders went down there at different times and I nearly finished my tour at the same section. I got my front wheel caught in the 4th rail groove but somehow I bounced out and amazingly, pulled out without a tumble - which by all rights I should have gone down (I thank you all for your prayers in days gone by). The four other riders who did go down luckily had various degrees of bumps and scrapes but no broken bones. There was a bent dérailleur but that was the worst of it. They all completed the day.
There was also a fair amount of climbing - more than yesterday. Everybody was well drained. Despite the tumbles and the sloshy rain period, everyone finished the day. What a hearty group.
I'm reluctant to document what it feels like knowing we have only 8 more riding days before we complete our journey. Something special has happened while we all travelled in a bubble with a common purpose, eating together, commiserating, lots of laughing, lots of singing, some grumbles, sharing aches and pains and remedies. Slowly getting to know more about the people you ride with mile after mile. It is a very special experience that I know will end but one that I'll take with me and will surely last my lifetime.
Although I'm looking forward to returning home to Mike and Buddy - who by the way have been incredibly indulgent in their support for this mad adventure of mine - I don't know how I'll be able to thank my new friends for all they've done to get me through the day to day of getting on that bike and facing another amazing day on the road. I know I'll be a mess come Friday morning at the beach in Revere. I can only hope they understand how much they all have meant to me...
Blah, blah, blah, I'm tired and getting sappy...
A couple quick snaps to follow.
At the food trough. Sometime, it's how I feel trying to shovel in nourishment at breakfast.
Another quick stop for V8 at another gas station
Wildlife spotted at the second SAG stop today.
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