Day 12.. The Grind...AKA The Blue Ridge Mountains! Ridin' to the sky!

Climbing up Blue Ridge!

Finally, the sun came out today! I woke up feeling sore and a bit apprehensive about what was ahead of us today...miles and miles of climbing UP The Blue Ridge Mountains. After a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, we hit the road. Slow and steady was our mantra today...and that's exactly what we did!

It took about 30 minutes of riding to warm up...which is how long it took us to get from the camp ground to the base of the mountains. Shift, shift, shift....big chain to small chain, shift, shift, shift. As any cyclist knows, sometimes the most tragic moment when riding up a steep climb is when you try to shift but find out that you are already in the easiest gear!

We climbed up about 5 miles to Skyline drive and began our journey mostly up (and sometimes down and across) The Blue Ridge Parkway for another 30 miles. 5,700 feet of climbing en total today. Shock to the system, although at least we had some "warm-up" hills in NJ and PA last week. After 35 miles of climbing and 5 miles of fast descent, we exited the Parkway and scooped down into the quaint town of Vesuvius, VA. We stumbled upon a great spot for lunch called Gertie's Country Store. What a cool place! Full of friendly people, including some cowboys, and good 'ol fashioned cookin'.

Gertie's

We filled our bellies and spent the next 20 post-prandial miles soft pedaling down South River Road and into Lexington, VA, home to two wonderful Universities (VMI + Washington+Lee).

Cruisin' down S. River Rd.
Along the railway

The sun shone on us all day and, although quite cool on top of the mountain, we were fully warmed up by the time we pulled up to the RV, 60 miles and 5+ hrs later. A good stretch in the warm sun (thanks Kev + Jim) followed by a hot shower and a yummy meal (thanks Chip!). Good night!

Day 11...The grind before the grind

I hit some sort of wall today. Unsure if I'm just fatigued,  dehydrated or undernourished. Or all of the above. I certainly didn't sleep well last night - we were parked at a fire house which was near the train tracks...and lucky for us, the train ran EVERY 3 HOURS ALL NIGHT! So, needless-to-say, after 11 days straight of riding, tired muscles and lack of sleep, I understand why I am fatigued. However, I'm not sure about the hydration/nutrition aspects. I am definitely drinking but perhaps not enough? And I am eating more than I've EVER eaten, but maybe I need more?

Riding past UVA

Today we road from Mineral, VA to Greenwood, VA which is just at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It rained on us all day and there were quite a few hills once we neared Charlottesville. We road right past The University of Virginia campus where a few of my friends attended college and my cousin's daughter does now. I get nostalgic when it comes to college campuses. Maybe I'm just a nerd, but I LOVE to be surrounded by academia.

UVA

We stopped for lunch in Charlottesville at Fox's Cafe. A much needed break after 53 miles grinding the gears in the rain. I was feeling really fatigued and was desperately hoping that a good meal would help me get my groove back. Then I checked my phone and found a picture message from my friend Mollie.

She sent a photo of one of her twins, Mia, sitting on a tricycle with posters around her, cheering me on. It was EXACTLY what I needed to get inspired and finish the last 16 miles of today's ride. Thanks Mollie, Mia, (Rob and Bob)!

Precious little Mia!

Day 10... Rain Rain Go Away...

Pre-ride smile for the camera

Layering up pre-ride

It was a grind today. Rain again and temperatures never climbed above 50. The wind wasn't too bad, at least initially. We rode well for the first 40 miles, averaging about 16 mph. Awesome! But around mile 40 I bonked.  I dug deep to get to 50 but was chilled to the bone and couldn't feel my feet.  Kev wasn't doing too hot either. We had virtually run out of fluid and couldn't believe that we hadn't come across a store (or another person) in 50 miles.

Cruising down CR618 in VA

Then we found an oasis: The Bumpass Country Deli. Hallelujah! WOW, I could barely understand the nice lady who helped us because of her heavy southern drawl. I guess somewhere en route we passed into the south. A coffee and some pretzels down the hatch. Ah. That was enough to squeeze out the last 11 miles to Mineral, VA where we are staying tonight (in the parking lot of a local fire house).

Yes, we were definitely in the country today.  And no one else seemed to be around. Only 1 deli route and we saw more dogs than people (1 dog chased me for 1/4 mile..didn't he know I was a vet?).  Hey, I thought it was supposed to be warm in Virginia in October?? Guess we will have to keep heading south to find sunshine. At least tomorrow looks to be closer to 60, although more rain!

Day 9...Wet n' Windy

 

Rain Gear!

We woke up at 7 a.m. to the sound of rain hitting the RV. It was a rainy, cold (high 40's) and noticeably windy morning. This was not the best way to get pumped up for the 70+ mile ride we had ahead of us, especially on these tired legs. We hit the road around 8:30 a.m and pushed hard for 2 miles uphill, into 25mph head wind and chilled to the bone. And that's when our ride came to a halting stop.

We approached a bridge crossing and as we got closer were stopped by a construction worker. "Sorry, there's NO bridge today folks, and no pedestrian walkway". He told us to take a "detour". We tried to explain to him our map system and that a detour at this junction was not really a viable option. Plus we had traveled 500+ miles from NY and were attempting to get across the country by bike! Please reconsider! 

Bridge Closed?!

Crossing Creek

The fear in our eyes and an urgency in our voices must have softened this man and after a few minutes he said "follow me". He told us we could try to cross the creek but we had to climb down a steep, muddy ditch (about 25 feet down) to the river bed, cross the running water and trek back up the other side to do so. No problem! A bit of a challenge, yes, but much better than trying to reroute onto a major highway! 



Today we traveled from Lorton ,VA to Guinea, VA. A total of 71 tough miles in the saddle and 590 miles since leaving Montauk Point. Stretch, shower, eat, sleep.

Day 8...Tour de D.C.

Lincoln Memorial+
Washington Monument

Today's ride took us from Brookville, MD through Washington, D.C. and finally to Lorton, VA where we set up camp. It was a fairly flat and very scenic route on the Rock Creek Trail through Rock Creek Park and into D.C.

Rock Creek Trail

After a few pictures in front of the Washington Monument and the Watergate Complex, we crossed the Arlington Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River and onto the Mt. Vernon Bike Path. This trail took us south past Arlington (where we stopped for lunch), through Mt. Vernon and onto Fort Belvour Army Base and into Lorton, VA.

Potomac River

I am pretty fatigued today. I guess my body is not used to biking 8 days in a row. HA HA! But Jim says that after 25 days, I will acclimate and, in his words, I "will be crushing it". We will see about that! As of today, my left quad and my neck/shoulders are tight. Not too sore in the 'ol saddle region but I'm sure that will evolve. ;-) Time in the saddle will certainly get me strong but not without being constantly aware of my nutritional needs and making sure I rest.  The wise words of my friends Sinead and Jen echo through my head every day, reminding me to focus on nutrition and recovery. I'll admit, eating enough is the hardest part for me. Even when I don't feel hungry I must consume. If I don't, I will get sick and/or bonk. And we don't want that!

Welcome to Virginia! Let's see what this Old Dominion state has to offer!

Day 7...Celebrate Recovery

Peeking around my shoulder for a pic

Confucius said "It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop".  This is a great mantra and one I was reminded of today.

While we were all in good spirits this morning, seemingly full of energy and fuel, Kevin pulled me aside and said he felt a bit jittery. His heart rate (per HR monitor) was abnormally high even before we started. His pulse rate (per me), however, was within normal limits, although I think he was having some arrhythmias. I could not tell if these were normal (sinus) arrhythmias or abnormal. He said he was OK to go although fatigued. He struggled considerably over the first (very hilly) 20 miles. I asked if he wanted to bag it but, as I would have predicted, he shook his head "no" and pressed on. By mile 30, after stopping to eat our PB+J sandwiches, he started to come around. His HR monitor starting putting out normal numbers.  I knew his spirits were up when he went from being virtually silent to making jokes.

Jim bringing us home at the end of today's ride

At mile 40 we passed a sign in front of a church that said "CELEBRATE RECOVERY". Wow. I couldn't believe how special these words were to me when I saw them side-by-side. Recovery, regardless what from what or for how far along in the process you are, is a wonderful thing. Whether you are recovering from an eating disorder, from cancer, from alcoholism, from war, from surgery, from the loss of a loved one...it should be recognized and CELEBRATED. So, please take a moment today to acknowledge and celebrate your recovery!

Today's ride took us from Pylesville, MD to Olney, MD. A total of 74 miles of tough hills and wind but lovely landscape. Lots of horse farms and gracious people along the way. Tomorrow we will reach the outskirts of Washington, D.C and another state will be behind us!

Day 6...Rain, Hills, Wind...The Trifecta?

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 ;-).  

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.....