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| Riding through Manheim |
The day was overcast but mild. We started off around 8:30am and did a nice 10 mile easy spin through rolling hills. But then it all changed.
Around mile 15 the first of the Trifecta was upon us: RAIN. It was a slight drizzle at first but it quickly changed to pelting rain. Since we had been through worse on Friday, really, it was no big deal. Plus the rain kept us cool. But then came the second of the Trifecta: HILLS. I'm not talking a short quick climb like Great Hill Road in Southampton...these were some serious climbs, most of them >1/2 mile in length, some >1 mile...all in the small ring averaging about 6 mph. Brutal. The descents, which are normally the reward for working so hard, were nearly impossible to gain speed on and enjoy. The rain made it dangerous to do the normal: get low and dive bomb. The roads were slippery and there were a lot of big trucks barreling along. I gripped HARD on both breaks for most of the descents to a point where my forearms ached. Having said that, I did manage to get up to 35mph down a few, crouched low + watching the odometer turn over with ease ;-).
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| Crossing the boarder from PA to MD |
Normally we stop for lunch around mile 40. But today we found out there was NO place to stop. This we did not anticipate. By mile 50 we had depleted our liquid stores and, despite taking in a good amount of nutrition, had both bonked right before the biggest of the biggest, the steepest of the steepest, ascents. I dug deep and just kept reminding myself why I'm riding across America. Surely the pain I'm in now is nothing compared to the pain of those who have struggled with eating disorders and those who fought and died for our country. At mile 55 we heard the sweet sound of the RV honk behind us. The boys had come to save the day! We refueled and an hour later hit the pavement again. The final 15 miles saw the final element of today's Trifecta: WIND. Are you kidding me? Really? Now we had a 20mph head wind to deal with. At least the rain had stopped. Finally we made it to the state line and shortly found a place to park the RV.
72 miles in the bag and I'm wiped out! The energy output was enough that I could have put in over 100 on Long Island. But we made it to Maryland! One more state behind us.....
