Day 35 - Tailwinds!

Yesterday: bad roads, headwinds, threatening weather

Today: good roads, tailwinds, sunny

Today was the reward for enduring yesterday's slog. It was a day of fast and fun cycling once again. Happy to have made it this far. It gets serious on Friday when we cross into New York.

Lunch at an old fashioned root beer stand on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania was a highlight today.

Day 34 - Leaving the "Midwest"

Today was another of those "just get it done" kind of days... 91 miles from Wooster through Akron to Youngstown, Ohio was a day when the camera never came out. I'm admittedly a bit tired from riding over 530 miles in the last 6 days.

Tomorrow we ride to Erie, Pennsylvania, then we rest before the final 7 riding days to Boston!

Day 33 - I Went Back To Ohio... Way Back!

Today was a touchstone to the past, a lesson learned and an adventure of the best kind.

The touchstone began at mile 16 when I realized that the tour was not just going to take me through Delaware County, but through the city of Delaware, Ohio and past the the Ohio Wesleyan dormitory where I first met Pamela, the love of my life, almost 30 years ago. Yes, the tour took me about 30 feet from the place I called home when we were undergraduates all those years ago. Admittedly, I was giddy about the surprise of it all and felt as though I was 20 years old all over again. I never stopped smiling for the rest of the day...

The lesson learned was that Ground Hog Day can never really last forever. Good or bad, time pushes forward. The past is gone, tomorrow is uncertain and today is a gift. That's why we call it the present...

My adventure was leaving the group to explore the Ohio Wesleyan campus and also my once hometown of Galena. After that, I was on my own to navigate the 75 miles to Wooster on an alternate route. My trusty steed and my Garmin didn't let me down... A most satisfying day indeed!

Day 32 - I'm Getting Used To This...

I was awakened by Sunny & Cher's "I've Got You Babe" on the clock radio. Went to breakfast and returned to the room to pack. Bags downstairs, then the bike. Rode the bike for many hours. Did laundry then had lunch. Posted on the blog then went to dinner. I will be asleep before 9:00...

Where did the last week go? Oh, yeah, it's Ground Hog's Day on the XC Tour...

Day 31 - Getting Wet

It took thirty days, but we finally got wet. It was raining at dawn and just kept on throughout the morning. In Southern California, we don't get many chances to ride all day in the rain when the temps are in the mid to high 70s. It was wet, but it was warm.

Tomorrow we ride the last "official century" of the tour.

Day 30 - Crawfordsville To Indianapolis

Today's highlight was visiting the Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis that is named after the African American sprint cyclist and world champion at the beginning of the 20th century. My first time visiting and riding on a velodrome, it was great fun climbing "the wall" of the track and trying to get the bike up to 30 mph. I have new found respect for the racers who far exceed that speed and do it on a single speed bicycle!

Our back road excursion from Crawfordsville to Indianapolis was prettier than I was expecting for a ride through central Indiana. The 70 mile route was full of twists and 57 turns through fields, farms, neighborhoods and city streets. It was a good day.

One more day in Indiana then 3 days in Ohio followed by a single day in Pennsylvania. We will ride 465 miles in the next 5 days...

Day 29 - Bozos On The Bus

Back at it after a day of rest, we crossed into Indiana and the eastern time zone today. The terrain was a bit more scenic with hills, woods and a stretch of the ride on a river road.

I spent part of yesterday exploring the town of Champaign and the University of Illinois campus. It did make me feel a bit old as most of the people around me were about three decades younger than I am. I was probably mistaken for somebody's father... good practice for a few years from now.

Today was decorate your helmet day. As you can see, we really are just a bunch of bozos.