Crew’s Log…

Cycling Date: 16-July-11

Mileage: 85 miles

Climbing: 3000’

Weather: Sunny. Low 60s to start. Warmed up into the upper 80s. Winds mostly out of the SSE.

Highlights of the day:

It was a beautiful start to the day on rolling hills through farmland. I know that sounds like the last two days (weeks?) but it was great eye candy first thing in the morning.

Back on the day into Marysville, I wrote about us riding on some of the best asphalt of the tour. Well today we paid back some of that day, at least a few miles. We hit what I described as the more, um, challenging roads of the tour. Between frost heaves, tree roots, and old pavement – small sections of today’s route were real equipment and bike handling testers. Fortunately the worst of the roads were on the up hills. It is much easier to pick your way through the ruts at 9 mph than 20+.  Hopefully it makes us all appreciate the newly paved roads all the more.

We are definitely getting into the eastern section of the country. There are more towns, more people, and more cars along the way. Our days of two turn cue sheets are a thing of the past as well. It all means that the riders must continue to be focused on the bike. Focused on their safety so we can get everyone to the beach on their bikes in just under two weeks. (yup, two weeks)

We have one more 90+ mile day until our last day off. Last day off? We just started! But I repeat myself…

Crew’s Log…

Cycling Date: 15-July-11

Mileage: 103 miles

Climbing: 3800’

Weather: Sunny. Calm winds. Low humidity. Lows in the 60s. Highs in the mid 80s.

Highlights of the day:

More quiet country roads through corn, soybeans, and pastures.  A few pig farms for a bit of olfactory excitement. Then we moved into the forest covered hills. Lots of hills. Not as many as Missouri but steeper and longer. I referred to it as Missouri on steroids. I think some of the riders agreed with me. It actually looked a bit like the foothills of the Berkshires. Total climb for the day was 3800, not bad for the flat Ohio!

The route ended for many riders at Dari-Land Ice Cream. Gi-normous milkshakes and cones. My personal favorite is a Moose Tracks milk shake. Peanut butter globs coated in chocolate in vanilla ice cream. Need I say more?

We stayed in Wooster tonight. Pronounced Wuh-ster. Similar to Massachusetts’ Worcester (wuh-stah), only not spelled the same.

Crew’s Log…

Cycling Date: 14-July-11

Mileage: 106 miles

Climbing: 2010’

Weather: Except for the headwind, it was delightful. Cool in the morning in the low 60s. High temps in the upper 70s with low humidity (hazaah!). Sunny all day. Winds were out of the ESE. Not really strong but high on the annoying factor.

Highlights of the day:

It was a beautiful morning for this early start. Light winds, cool temps, low humidity. There were smiles all around. Early in the ride, we crossed into Ohio. It’s our 8^th border crossing and our 9^th state. We only have four more to go.

The route took us back to the corn & soy fields on quiet country roads through farmland. Many were newly paved. Ohio has some of the nicest roads we get to ride on this tour. It also has some of the most, um, challenging pavement we ride on this tour. Today was a ‘nicest roads’ day. Check back in a few days to find out where we get a little more challenging pavement, as it were.

Some of us visited Braden’s Café & Sweets in Saint Paris for an unofficial lunch stop. The owner, who is also the mayor of St Paris, was thrilled to have our group of very hungry cyclists visit his establishment for lunch. All enjoyed the great sandwiches and fruit smoothies. Oh and some of us grabbed a bit of homemade fudge for later in the day.

We had an unexpected but greatly appreciated treat with 15 miles to go. We were visited by JL Herron, an alumnus from 1998 and 2000 Cross Country Challenges. He set up an unofficial SAG stop in Woodstock and offered us ice cold drinks. This was high on the nice scale.

We’ve got another long day tomorrow with a fair piece of climbing. Time to rest up and recover quickly. Think I’ll catch up on the Tour de France as we have Versus (yay!). Bon soir.

Crew’s Log…

Cycling Date: 13-July-11

Mileage: 74 miles

Climbing: 1050’

Weather: We got our reprieve from the high heat / humidity combination. Sunny. Highs in the low 80s. Only complaint was a head wind out of the NNE.

Highlights of the day:

Today was a nice relaxed ride to get the legs going again after our day off in Indy. It was one of those days where we rode 70+ miles, got to the hotel, and then said, “you know, I don’t feel like I really worked very hard today.” Being able to say 70+ miles and didn’t really work hard in the same sentence is one nice side effect of this kind of tour. Some people call it rather warped, I call it a great change in perspective.

The route took us through a more (sub)urban areas than we’ve traveled lately. We did have our fix of cornfields but they were more nice contrast to the city and towns rather than the main feature of the day.

A quick side trip took most riders to the “Historic Hoosier Gym” in Knightsville, IN. We were guided us through the gym, given a quick overview of its history (both real and in the movies), and then allowed to shoot some hoops before heading on our way. This gym was featured in the 1986 movie Hoosiers. It was built over 80 years ago as a community gymnasium. Now it’s open to the public for sports and other events as well as place for visitors to come view Hoosiers memorabilia and shoot a few baskets.

Those riders who were patient and didn’t get sucked into fast food alley stopped at Ritter’s Frozen Custard. Good ice cream. It’s an important part of cycling. I hope that’s been clear on this blog?

Crew’s Log…

Cycling Date: 12-July-11

Mileage: 0

Weather: Sunny. Low-90s

Highlights of the day:

Another day off!

Riders visited the sights of Indianapolis & did laundry. The staff prepped for the next segment.

Crew’s Log…

Cycling Date: 11-July-11

Mileage: 62 miles

Climbing: 700’

Weather: Sunny. Low 70s to start. Upper 90s for a high with  of humidity. Winds relatively light and mostly out of the SSW.

Highlights of the day:

Weather wasn’t exactly a highlight but it played a big part in today’s ride. Hot and humid. Hot hot hot and very very humid. Heat index up near 110. Stifling. Like an oppressive blanket. Can blankets be oppressive?  This one was. Here’s hoping a cooler drier front is headed our way soon. Please?

We had two visitors on route today. Our one and only SAG stop of the day was at the Pittsboro United Methodist Church. Dave Buckner, an avid cyclist and the pastor at this church, has said each year that he wanted to join us. This year he did! He rode with us from Pittsboro into Indianapolis. Our second visitor was Lauren Stafford, a 2010 alumna. She surprised us at the Major Taylor Velodrome with donuts from Long’s Baker, local favorites and now new found favorites for our extended cycling family.

Today was definitely a day for sightseeing options. The first was a quick tour of the Roark Bike Factory. Roark is a custom metal fabricator for the aerospace, energy, and science industries. So what about the bikes? One of the engineers was a bike enthusiast and thought it would be cool to build some out of titanium. The project grew and now they manufacture about 100 custom bicycles per year.

After a few more miles in the corn fields, we entered Eagle Creek Park. This is the 6^th largest municipal park in the US. The park provided a winding, green way into Indianapolis along Eagle Creek. And, most importantly, it provided some shade and a slight respite from the heat. I heard many thanks as we rode along that stretch of road.

Next up was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Brickyard. Cyclists found out the hard way that asking for directions to the Speedway will only get you to the local gas station (also called Speedway). Several riders took the opportunity to visit the museum. Others just enjoyed the opportunity to get inside for a few minutes of cool air-conditioning.

Our final stop along the way was the Major Taylor Velodrome. A quick note, rumors last year had it that this facility was going to be shut down because the city of Indianapolis could no longer maintain it. Fortunately, Marian University Cycling Team (@MarianCycling), has taken ownership of the property and is working to maintain it for cyclists to enjoy track racing. The track is the cyclists’ version of the speedway. Riders were able to take their bikes on the track for a spin. We had our own little ABB time trials. Lots of shouting, encouragement, and photographs.

We said goodbye today to one rider who just joined us in St Joseph, MO. I’m repeating myself but it is hard to believe that we’ve just finished another leg of the trip!

Crew’s Log…

Cycling Date: 10-July-11

Mileage: 80 miles

Climbing: 1300’

Weather: Sunny. Humid. Hot. Highs in the low 90s.

Highlights of the day:

The start to today was a real stunner. Clear skies. Quiet country roads through field after field after field of corn and soybeans. There is a real beauty to this farmland. Honest.

We made our 7^th border crossing into our 8^th state. Indiana. Lincoln’s Boyhood Home. Not to be confused with Illinois, Land of Lincoln. Sounds like a little sibling rivalry here, eh?

We were welcomed into Hillsboro with their amusing welcome sign. “Welcome to Hillsboro, the home of 600 happy people and a few old soreheads.” Nice to see a town with a sense of humor. And a cool bike sculpture.

We’ve entered our 4^th and final time zone of the tour. The Atlantic is getting closer. Ok, so it has been all ride long but to be in the same time zone? I think we’re going to get there!

Crew’s Log…

Cycling Date: 09-July-11

Mileage: 97 miles

Climbing: N1050’

Weather: Mid 60s to start. Sunny. Highs in the mid to upper 80s. Winds out of the SSE.

Highlights of the day:

Today was our last of three 95-100 milers in a row. Some of our legs were just a little grumpy to start. It took a few more miles to settle in. But eventually the body gives in to the fact that it is going to do this ride. I think that’s how this works for most cyclists. The mind is not always 100% focused on riding and the body isn’t always 100% up to the task. The key is getting the mind to chill and getting the body to just shut up and ride. The adrenaline and endorphin payback is totally worth it. I did get to celebrate the end of the ride with a chocolate shake and a Chicago-style hot dog. Hmmm, perhaps that’s why we ride.

The words of the day: Flat, Corn, and Soybeans. We did have some variety. Corn left & soybeans right. Other times soybeans left & corn right. Oh, and for a really special moment – corn on both sides!

Our first SAG stop was at the Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park. A little off the route, riders were able to visit the sight where the Lincoln family first settled in Illinois after moving from their farm in southern Indiana. Our second SAG stop featured cinnamon raisin peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Now don’t scoff if you haven’t tried it. They’re great. Really they are. And it’s not just because we had 62 miles under our belts.

Crew’s Log…

Cycling Date: 08-July-11

Mileage: 106 miles

Climbing: 2950’

Weather: Sunny. Winds out of the NE. A slight break in the humidity. <<Insert loud cheer here>> Upper 60s to start warming to the mid to upper 80s.

Highlights of the day:

Our views of today? Corn. Lots and lots of corn. Oh, and soybeans. Field after field of green crops. Large farmhouses also dotted the landscape. Farming seems to be a thriving business in these parts.

We had some rollers to start the day but once the route crossed the Illinois River, the word of the day was flat. Definitely flat. Great study opportunity for vanishing points for roads, rails, and telephone wires. It was a long day but the terrain allowed it to be a relatively short one.

We visited one of the staff’s favorite bike stores on route, BikeTek. It’s a nice bike shop with bathrooms, cold water, and lots of bike stuff. And it’s open! We like those kind. Riders loaded up on tires, new gloves, other gadgets, and a few repairs.

Other riders took in the sights and museums in the area. Springfield is the capitol of Illinois and also home to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Crew’s Log…

Cycling Date: 07-July-11

Mileage: 97 miles

Climbing: 2950’

Weather: Low 70s to start. Warmed up into the 80s. And (spoken as a New Englander) wicked humid! Another day in the pool humid. I think it started at 93% and went up from there. Light spotty showers found most of us near the Mississippi with some riders getting hit with heavy rain.

Highlights of the day:

Today was a last tour of more hills of Missouri. A bit more challenging with tired legs from yesterday’s rollercoaster and a fair piece bumpier. I’ll quote Michelle, “They don’t call it the Cross Country Easy!” But with these riders and the legs they have now? Not a problem.

We had our unofficial lunch stop at staff favorite, Primos Sub shop in Canton. Great subs. Great wraps. Great ice cream. Just ask Scott, Jonathan, Stephen, Gerard, Mark, etc…

We made our 6^th border crossing into our 7^th state. Illinois. We crossed the Mississippi by means of the Canton Ferry, an open barge (I think?) with a tug on a swing arm. Fun to watch and nice way to get over to Illinois. We waved farewell to the steep rollers of the past two days. I don’t think many tears were shed. The Illinois side of the Mississippi is flat and lush with green as far as the eye could see. A bit of a climb up away from the river to Quincy’s center but that was nothin’!

We have VS again. Tour de France is heard throughout the motel. The cyclists are happy. The staff is happy. We are one happy group.

(Full disclosure. I cheated. This is a picture from last year when we had to take the van over the bridge.)