Long Day in the Saddle

I woke up today with no voice. Some people were probably happy. I don’t think everyone appreciates my jokes.

It seemed like everyone was in a great rush to get moving this morning. Most riders were up and prepping their bikes by 5:30 AM. This happens when we have long mileage days and 96 miles with 6,000 feet of climbing is exactly that kind of day.

Tim’s helmet hair

I felt fine in the early morning and knocked off the first 2,000 feet without much of a problem but as the day wore on the hills began to take their toll. One thing positive about climbing a mountain (Catskill) is that you get to go down. The down hills can be a lot of fun and a bit hair raising. Reaching speeds in excess of 40 miles per hour on very thin tires can be extremely dangerous but it’s so much fun. We had 3 major climbs over various mountains and the scenery was beautiful. We had one major descent along a roaring stream.

At mile 76 my bike computer ran out of battery. This is a problem since my directional maps are all load on this device. I had to use my paper map for a few turns but I decided to wait for a group that was slightly behind me to lead me to our destination.

We‘re staying in Windsor Locks, CT at a beautiful church. We were served a great dinner and I going to sleep immediately after posting this blog. Good night all.