Finding the Finger Lakes

Starting to look back at the previous weeks and noticed a few things. My morning anxiety of the first week or so has been replaced by the calm certainty of a well established routine. Maybe it's discipline needed to succeed day after day or just realizing (to quote a fellow rider) "There is no plan B. We just have to do this." Knowing that makes choices a lot easier.

The other thing I noticed is that my body has adapted to the requirements of my daily routine. I won't get graphic here but it is amazing how my body chemistry has adapted to my new waking, eating, riding, sleeping patterns and has accommodated my needs quite nicely.  In talking to a former rider (who I met  a few days ago), he mentioned that the routine and closed social environment we're in is a bit like a prisoner of war camp. You adapt to the new reality and social norms almost subconsciously. Interesting observation, maybe a bit extreme, but I understand what he was driving at.

Next observation is that the rides although routine in one sense, just seem to get richer every day. No matter the riding conditions or terrane, I'm enjoying the ride more every day. Despite this daily joy ride, I'm aware of its limited shelf life and sigh.

Today's joy was discovering a new element to cycling psychology. I probably knew it but just having gone through it made for a new twist to the final stage of our ride. At the second SAG stop, in Avon, NY, we met a local gent who meets the CrossRoads cyclists every year when they pass through his town. He asked if we would mind if he rode with us for a bit - the leg from the SAG stop to the Canandaigua town line.

"Sure"

It was on.

The next 25 miles of climbing was some of the most aggressive riding I've ever done. Not something I'd planned to do today especially because of the length of the ride (some 95 miles) and the amount of climbing (4,700 feet). It was supposed to be a steady, relaxed ride to conserve strength and keep safe for the last week of the tour. Well, plans change. This dude was looking to prove something and we had the duty to preserve the honor of the CrossRoads riding team.

We traded summiting some monster hills despite the fact we had already pedaled 60 plus miles already today. But we kept at it. All the way to the Canandaigua border. Our friend did make the town line first but I did notice his heaving lungs as he dismounted his bike and pulled it off the road into a nice patch of shade. We smiled as we waved back at him realizing we had been used as pick-up  training partners. No matter. We held our own and then some.

It was a great day to ride, cool early on then it warmed up slightly under sunny skies. It did cloud up toward the end of the riding day and despite stopping for both a chocolate fudge sundae and a strawberry/banana smoothie (recovery nutrition) we got to the hotel by 2:00. The NY roads we travelled today were close to paralleling Interstate 90. They were in really good shape with wide shoulders and moderate traffic. Had ample opportunity to ride two abreast and discuss the world condition for miles and miles.

I had been through western NY years ago on trips for work but was reminded again of the rolling hills, and pastoral scenery - probably not the first images that come to mind when thinking of New York. Again, I'm privileged to be on this trip. Thinking of my guys back home who support me.

Rolling hills, vineyards, farms, and paddocks...

Tucked away behind the local Starbucks, was an access road to Canandaigua Lake.

I was surprised how congested the lake seemed with sail boats, power boats, and paddle boards. 

Watched a woman tossing rocks into shallows so he dog could play.

They both were having a good time.

Paddle-boarder coming ashore as rain clouds gathered.

Hotel was just another half mile away so we made it there before the rain started.

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner

- reference: Warren Zevon.

There was no blog from me yesterday. It was our last day off.  In anticipation of the climbing and distances we need to cover this final week, I did my best to recharge my legs. I spent most of yesterday morning in the lounge eating a long leisurely breakfast of toast, oatmeal, fresh berries, yogurt, bacon and eggs, and downing about a half gallon of Starbucks coffee while I managed to finish the entire Wall Street Journal and USA Today. I was in no hurry.

While there I overheard the hotel server ask a gentleman if he met any of "those bikers". He replied he met 5 and being as hyper-caffeinated as I was, I blurted out I was the 6th.  He introduced himself as "Ty" who had done this tour twice before. We then began talking, sharing our experiences. He had a few eye opening details about his crossing the Mojave in 116 degree heat when I had only clocked top temps @ 103.  As I suspected our group has really had the best weather so far, relative to rainy days, headwinds and heat. Not that we haven't had our share challenges but on balance it's been pretty good.

After lounging most of the morning, I went to find my vest that I had forgotten under the CrossRoads Tours sign in the lobby from the previous night. Not there. My fault for forgetting it. Rats. I decided therefore to have lunch at the hotel. I met a fellow rider who was finishing his lunch and catching up on email via phone. After getting a meal recommendation, I ordered a hot chocolate - it was an overcast and drizzley day - and a turkey club. It was a good $20 lunch. (Cough)

After lunch it was time for a movie on my iPad (Whiplash - I wanted  to see JK Simmons Oscar winning role for a while now) and a later nap. On waking, it was time for supper. Quick walk uptown with a party of 7 and we found ourselves in an Irish pub. Food was OK. I mean "ok".

Chuckle of the day:
I had asked one of our British riders at dinner in the Irish pub what surprised him most on his trip across the States. He was most surprised by how friendly and nice the people here were and how willing they were to talk to strangers. He thought the British were a bit more reticent to talk with strangers.

Later, on our walk back to the hotel, our group of 7 was walking closely to a group of 4 or 5 younger folk. Someone passing by in a car yelled out the window at that group "Hey! Your a** is hanging out of your pants!"
To which one of the demure ladies in the walking group shouted at the passing car "**** You! A******'s! #%*** and your €%###!!!"
I looked at my British friend and said, "Yes, I guess we are quite friendly and willing to talk to strangers, aren't we?" A good chuckle.

Today was Friday the 19th.  Short ride scheduled for today only 80 miles. Still bummed about my vest, I asked the support team if they saw or found it.  They checked in their vans and asked at the hotel front desk but they came up empty handed.

Someone mentioned that perhaps the front desk wasn't invested enough to really look and maybe I should ask them again. Since I had no vest, I asked if the photographer that was shooting pictures there yesterday had placed it behind the front desk. Apparently, that did the trick. The clerk came back with two vests, a sweater, and an Apple Store bag with some product. Great! I got my vest and Mark's vest returned. I returned the Apple bag to the clerk then brought my bike outside to prepare for the day's ride. Good way to start my day.


Weather was cool with overcast skies. Stayed that way for all but the last 10 miles. We travelled parallel to Lake Erie for 50 + miles saw many vineyards. Might be a nice place to ride again doing a winery tour.  Saw one Winery named the same as a friend of mine. Took a snapshot and emailed it to him.  Decided to lunch at local diner but heard that the pie shop across the street was probably the better joint.

One creepy moment was when we stopped in front of a cheesy lawn ornament and homemade candy shop to take a picture.  See below to get a sense of what the place was like...
While taking some shots, a guy pulls up in an electric cart and recommends we go inside and check the place out.  Trying to gracefully decline wasn't going to work with this guy so to move along we went inside.

It was a great candy store but it was chock full of the weirdest collection of statues, clothed manikins, Christmas "decorations?", lots of what looked like stage props.  The"merchandise" hadn't moved in years. It had a faint musty odor and a slight yellowed patina from 30 years of jus sitting and waiting and waiting and waiting....  I wouldn't want to be there after dark. We got out of there fast and after pedaling a few more mikes the sun came out! We arrived at the hotel by 2:00 which allowed plenty of time for cleaning the bike, sink laundry, showering, and getting ready for Route Rap.

Went to a nice local restaurant for dinner. The food was good but we only had one waitress for the 20+ of us. The ordering of drinks then taking dinner orders just took forever. I know it's Friday night but it took over an hour for our meals to reach our tables...

Tomorrow will be a tough day. Over 90 miles and 4,600 feet of climbing. But we're getting closer.

Nearly coast to coast, now!

Creepyville. Note the life size Jesus with back to camera.

Not in picture are the Lawn Jockeys, Elephants, and Dinosaurs.  

Here in Erie, PA

I feel like I'm almost home. Riding the 91 miles to Erie, PA, reminded me so much of the roads at home. Rough, pot holes, some stretches of nice pavement, loads of tree-lined streets, and picture perfect homes with tidy lawns. Weather was our friend today.  Started out overcast in low 60's - almost chilly - so I started day wearing my wind vest but left my arm warmers in my bags. It remained cool but pedaling to the first SAG (Supply and Gear) stop generated enough heat to keep me comfortable. I left my wind vest with the crew at that point and enjoyed the remainder of the ride in what I consider perfect cycling weather - low to mid 60's.

The starting time has become much less rigid with most everyone now leaving around 7:00.  It does tend to bunch up with the Legacy Italians and New Italians intermixed with the rest of us for the first  10 miles or so, but as the legs warm up, the New Italians tend to break away first, followed by the Legacy group, then the rest of us fall into riding buddies or groups of buddies and we start setting what feels like a good pace. 

Had a couple of good chuckles and assortment of surprises again, today. First picture below is at the PA border. Notice the state sign is rather unimaginative. While traveling with a buddy today, we stopped to take pictures as we frequently do. It happened at a point where they were re-paving a section of the road. I was asked to take a picture in return for taking mine. Sure. I wasn't sure of what was so interesting about the steamroller pressing out a fresh patch of asphalt but hey, à chacun son goût, oui?

I understood later that it was the picture at the state line sign that was wanted. Oops. I hope I got the sign in their picture. Luckily, later that night it turned out that I accidentally got the sign and the wanted shot.  Phew! 

Along the way we also quizzed each other on which stops came next on each of our riding days.  Without this blog to refer to, I would be "kicked off the Island".  You'd think I'd remember as I was there but the days do seem to collide into each other.

We were glad to get to second SAG stop which was hosted at a local root beer and hot dog stand. Their speciality is the Root Beer Float and their chili dogs. I was lucky to get there when I did because some truck had taken out a telephone pole and the wires had come down across the road blocking traffic in both directions just near the stand. Riders behind us had to figure out a detour around that mess. When we got there power was out. Although we could get root beer and chili dogs, they couldn't do ice cream. I guess they use soft serve ice cream machine to make their floats. No power meant no ice cream. It didn't stop me from enjoying two root beers and two chili dogs, though.

Near the end of the ride today, there was an optional detour to Presaue Isle state park. It's a recreation area along the lake. There are campgrounds, beaches, a large water park, and amusement rides. On the long hill that descended into the park on the way in, we noticed a large arched overpass. I assumed it was pedestrian walkway. On the slower ride out of the park and back up the hill I noticed the familiar clacking sound of a wooden roller coaster ascending a hill followed by the screams and roar as its cars crested the peak and rolled down the slope and over that overpass as we were pedaling by. I had almost forgot that by now, schools are out and it's summer vacation time.

Got to the hotel just a little after 2:00. Wow. We usually stay in nice places, Hampton Inns, Holiday Inn Express, Hilton Garden Inn and the like. But tonight we're on the water in a Sheraton. I'm on the 8th floor with a sunset view over Lake Erie. It's a great place to spend time for our day off. On arrival, I jumped into the shower and then dashed to the laundry to get that chore behind me.  I usually do my bike clothes in the sink each night but I've needed to do some ofmy street clothes too which are better suited to the washer and dryers.

We assembled at the hotel lounge to figure out dinner plans. While assembling there we met a bunch of insurance people gathered for a regional convention. Had a few chuckles with them. There must be 50 or more of them milling around. Nice group of high energy, young folk mostly. Reminded me of my working days when we had our company conferences. 

Our group broke up into a couple of smaller parties where 8 of us took a couple of cabs to a nice Italian restaurant. Food was good and plentiful, and since we sat at a round table, we could all talk and hear each other. We cried tears over a story someone related about a friend who had accidentally got locked out of his room in the middle of the night. We all could relate because of all the changes we've made from hotel to hotel the past 6 weeks. A great night with good friends. 

There's that discreet state sign and the freshly laid pavement. 

I call these guys "Root Beer & Float" 

Chatting up the owner of the Root Beer stand. Good root beer and chili-dogs. 

Just a lonely looking still life at Lake Erie. Well, at least they have each other...

I Can Ride For Miles And Miles.....

"I know (that you read) me, now here's a surprise
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. 

Wooster not Worcester, OH

Never quite to know what to expect on any given ride. Sure we look at weather forecast (and the weather service never makes any mistakes), and review the ride route at "Route Rap" each preceding day, but the magic of the day is that you never quite get what you expect.

We've been traveling under threat of rain/T-storms 50%-60 % chance for days now. However, we've been just missing them. Have to admit it must be close to 90% - 100% humidity with temps in the 90's so it's pretty awful. We also expected close to 4,000 feet of climbing with some steeps at 12 - 13% grade. So it was billed as a tough ride.

The temperature prediction was right, the humidity was about right, the steeps were aplenty on the last 16 or so miles of the 98 miles I had logged but the rain stayed away and I had forgotten that we're in pretty good shape from the last 5 weeks of daily rides so although the hills were a challenge, we all got through them like champs.

The unexpected part was the nearly 4 miles of milled road surface which loosened my teeth fillings, sent my seat post to the nether reaches of my insides, and made my calf muscles flap like rags in a wind tunnel. Yes. Surprisingly ugly section of road just before the last 16 miles of climbing.

But like I mentioned, we all got through it like the true champs we've become (modesty is sometimes overrated - I may edit this section out later when I'm not so tired).

On balance another amazing day for everyone.

And of course there was ice cream. And Buckeye Balls. One of the support teams husbands made these chocolate and peanut butter confections for us to welcome us to their home state of Ohio. We had them at the one of the SAG stops today. Great treat.  .  .  Thanks!

We're in the really neat town of Wooster, Ohio. Ate at a local restaurant and had the best meal of tour to date by far. It was real, non-chain, made for individuals food. I had the Italian sausage and Bow Tie pasta with a potato and broccoli soup with a nice glass on Pinot Noire. Others had equally savory dishes. It's actually a place I would go to for a special night out if it were in my hometown.

Sorry for short post tonight. We have another two 90 day rides ahead of us before we get to Erie, PA. Our last rest day before our final week on tour. Time to turn in.

Not a Yelp worthy photo but it was really good food with my favorite friends on tour.

What is Broasted?

Went to a Bob Evans for dinner last night. I was hungry (Big surprise there, hmmm?) I ordered the half chicken plate, with baked sweet potato, and corn. Since we've been eating at chain restaurants, my expectations were on the low side as to how well I'd like the meal. It was the most succulent chicken I've ever had in my life. I don't know what "Broasted" means but whatever it is I have to tell you it must mean crispy outside and juicy and succulent inside - even the breast piece. It  was absolutely incredible.

We were a group of anxious souls this morning. Weather had 60% chance of rain and we had a long 103 miles to travel in hot and humid conditions. Somehow, despite the sweltering humidity, the sun stayed behind high clouds until about noon, when it decided to poke through. Luckily, the wind was at our backs, and despite the temps (I was reading between 92 and 96 degrees) the ride was less of a monster than it could have been.

We crossed into Ohio within just a couple miles from our departure time. After sprinkling our Pacific sand at the base of the state line sign and taking some quick snaps, we were on our way. Had a great time hanging with the "New Italians" for a spell. We picked up two new (strong) riders in Champaign, IL. They were in a group with some of the original Italians who defected to an earlier departure time. Because we had the wind at our backs, we traveled a good couple dozen miles at rather zippy pace (19 + mph).

After a spell we ran into a former riding buddy who had chain issues similar to my issue yesterday. We stopped to give a hand and steady the bike. The chain was eventually wrestled free but we ended up flagging down the SAG van for additional help as we had loosened the front dérailleur.

At that point I continued on paired with anothe rider and we cruised at a good but comfortable clip to the next SAG stop and on to a local ice cream shop just 6 miles from tonight's hotel. What was feared to be a grueling day, turned only to be a hard but satisfying ride. I had an awesome day. Glad it's over - another Century on the books - but tomorrow will probably be the zinger of the week. It's another 98 miler but with a lot of sharp hills in the last 20 miles.. Hot and humid weather will continue. There had better be ice cream or Broasted Chicken.

Bikes lined up before ride. They don't look very antsy to get out there today. 

Sprinkle sand, take the glamor shot, and move it along. Another 100 miles still to go.

What a perfect hang out on a hot and muggy day like today. 

Back on the chain gang.....

There's a guy on a lawn mower mowing this massive lawn.

I believe this is downtown Saint Paris. Stopped here to grab a V8. Great fuel on a day like today..

My two constant companions. My bike and my ice cream.

Life in slow motion.

The day began like most others: Up with the chickens, bring bike to lobby, chow down at breakfast buffet (usual oatmeal, eggs, sausage, banana, yogurt, and toasted bagel with pb&j), run back upstairs to dress and bring bags down to load onto truck. Same old same old. Ah, but today, we had to take a left hand turn immediately out of the hotel onto a busy thoroughfare so we were assigned to smaller squadrons with staggered departure times to help keep us from bunching up along the highway.

Five of us left first. Cool. Headstart! Being another ghastly humid day with temps expected to hit near 90, I was glad to get out there just a little before 7:00. Within the first couple of miles we had two sharp descents/ascents (@ 10% grade) that crossed intersections at the trough. First one negotiated without a problem. Had a green light at bottom so we just sailed through. Problem developed at second hill.

We had to stop for a red light at the bottom of that second hill. We then had to start climbing from that stop up another jaunty 10 per-center. About mid way up the hill I realized I could use just a little more gear, so I decided to shift my front dérailleur from the middle ring to the small ring. I didn't lighten up on the tension, so when I shifted the chain jumped off the small ring and jammed in between the crank and frame. Uh, oh.

My pedals we're going nowhere. In the next few seconds time expanded into an eternity. I knew I was going to get acquainted with the pavement real soon. I had time to think about whether I would fall to the left, traffic side, or to the right, on my dérailleur. I surely didn't want to fall and possibly damage my shifting mechanism by falling on the left, but falling on the other side was equally unappealing.

I struggled to disengage from my pedals but no dice. I couldn't get either leg down to clip out. As the bike slowly rolled to a complete stop I was getting impatient to get the event over with. Of course it would be embarrassing and I'd be sure to hear about it from my good friends at dinner or at the next SAG. Ah, here it comes. I'm falling traffic side. Good. No damage to dérailleurs...

Alright. It wasn't a bad slam. Noggin is OK, elbow seems OK. But there I was on my side in the traffic lane and I was still clipped into my pedals. Hmmm. Not a good outcome after all. My buddy up ahead told me later he was wondering if he should take a picture before any car hit me so he could explain the preceding events to the coroner. I like his quick thinking. It made me laugh.

Lying there, I felt like I had just been in a skiing tumble and had to figure out how to extricate myself
from my skis and the snow bank. Again, time expanded. Realizing I just had to get out of the situation, I tried to scoot over to the side of the road but my butt could find no purchase being still attached to the bike by my feet.  "OK adrenaline.  You're up". I somehow willed my feet to twist in an unnatural manner and "click, click" I was set free. I scrambled up and pulled the bike to the side of the road just in time to wave on the next few squadrons of bikers flying by trying to hide my embarrassment.

My photojournalist friend came over and helped me steady my bike while I wrestled the chain free and got it back onto the gears. The whole incident from "Houston, we have a problem" to "All cleared for takeoff" was maybe a 12 minute adventure.

Very lucky man am I.

The remainder of day was hot, hot, hot, humid, humid, humid, useful for picture taking, snack shack visits, and oh, yeah, another DQ. The final couple miles into Richmond were tree lined streets, with stately homes, and a local college.

The next two days we will be crossing into Ohio and riding 200 miles. The elevation is also going to pick up considerably. We'll get our last rest day before the final push to the Atlantic on Thursday.  I can't quite articulate yet what knowing that there's 13 more cycling days means to me. I'll save that for later as I need to concentrate on the immediate days ahead.

Good bag placement at start of ride today...

Barn with no sides

Fresh hay...

Vitamins...

Some Old Timers