Daily Summary

Finally A Summer Day!

Today was the first time that I didn’t have to wear at least a 2nd layer (if not 3rd or 4th layer) to start the day on the whole tour. My “summer” tour has been much more winter / early spring up until now. I would never have guessed that I’d have no hot weather through end of May and nearly all of June.

Today, we finally got some true summer weather. We started in the 70’s and finished in the 90’s. It was close to Atlanta level humidity as well. I felt at home!

I was a little nervous only because while I ride and run in temperatures in the 90’s and even 100’s all the time, I hadn’t done it since last September due to Atlanta’s cool spring.  I wondered if my body would need time to adjust to heat again. But, I had no issue. I did, however, drink over a gallon and a half of water, sports drinks, and soda throughout the day.

The Ride

The ride was more of what I am used to. A lot of hills. Some quite big and long and some short. But, it gives a chance for legs to work hard and then get a break. That’s more familiar to me (and my legs) than the constant grinding we’ve had to do recently. It was a long day. With the hills and heat, we didn’t move very fast. We left a bit after 6:30, I pedaled for over 7 hours, and with breaks I got in just before 4:00.

The ride was on nice, quiet roads and even some trails.  While I was the only one not happy with the colder temperatures, I was the only happy with today’s. One person dropped out at the mile 20 rest stop. Another dropped out at the mile 43 rest stop. Two more dropped out at the mile 80 rest stop. So, just me and one other person finished.

I added a screen shot of today’s temperatures and winds. While the winds were pretty high again, we were protected by the hills most of the time and they were cross winds most of the rest. So, annoying at times, but not a huge factor in terms of slowing us down.

Today was actually the most feet of climbing I’ve done on the tour. It just beat out a few other days. With my leg feeling better, I haven’t had to skip any climbs the past couple weeks, which is great.

The Sights

The first picture shows a sign for a bar with Old Style beer advertised. That’s a classic beer from this part of the country that I am sure is still very popular among younger folks.

There are a couple of early view pictures. We had nice hills and trees and even a few rivers and streams today.

The picture of the road sign shows that the counties here just name county roads with letters. It’s simple at least. So, we spent a lot of time on road T, B, O, and a few others!

I came across Franks Market. If you zoom, you can see that the smaller signs call it Crazy Franks Flea Market. I got a kick out of it.

There are finally some pictures from a poorly maintained and overgrown road we were on, the paved part of the trail, and the gravel part. There is also a picture of a view from a bridge on the trail.

Setting Goals And Relentlessly Pursuing Them …

… no matter how stupid they are. I shouldn’t admit this, but my Type A personality came into play late in the day. We were maybe 7 miles from the finish in the peak heat when I realized that if I pushed hard and went a few miles per hour faster, I could make it in by 4:00. Would doing this impact my life or anyone else’s in any way? No. Once I had the thought, could I stop myself from going for it? Also a hard no.

So, instead of cruising in slowly as planned, I ended up pushing hard for the final 25 minutes and making it in a few minutes shy of 4:00. Goal achieved! But nobody reading this, or even me if I’m being honest, really cares.

The Hotel And Food

We’re at a local hotel called Round Barn Lodge. As you can see in the picture, the restaurant attached is literally round. The room is actually large and even has a lofted / vaulted ceiling. I had a huge gluten free pizza and salad for dinner. We hit a Culver’s again to finish with some custard. I think I ate more today than most, but with the length and difficulty of the ride, I’m not surprised.