What I feel

Why do I spend so much time on a bike?  Looking at a hot-air balloon this morning with "Freedom" on its side brought to mind the freedom I feel on the bike.

Old friends

Gary Broughton from XC 2005 and ES 2008 as well as Don Berens from ES 2011 came to visit and ride from Latham to Brattleboro. It was great to see old friends.

A typical day

I set my alarm for 5:45 for most mornings. But it has awakened me only once. I shave and dress quickly and am out the door to put out the pumps. I collect the tour map, easel, and sign-in sheet from the lobby and put them on the truck.

I have some breakfast and then go to my room to get ready. Up to 15 riders are on dawn patrol early release so we load their bags onto the truck. At 7:15, the faster riders' bags get loaded. I typically ride to the first SAG. After a short break I go to the hotel in the truck and deliver luggage to the rooms. When the vans come in, I get the drink coolers ready for the next day and fill the ice chests.

I am off dinner duty now, but paid the dinner bills most of the time for the first month. It is a busy day and I am more tired on many days than if I was just cycling. I do enjoy all aspects of the day.

Rain at last

We have not had a drop of rain while riding until today--five weeks into the tour. Even then, the rain did not happen until the later part of the ride. The locals need it. Marysville residents had their first rain of the month.

Helmet decorating

A CrossRoads tradition is to decorate helmets upon departure in Champaign. The riders gathered for a photo. They were quite creative.

I decided to just decorate my head with a large pipe before we arrived in Champaign. Perhaps that is why I appear in a pensive mood if not a painful one.

I had to put on a tall hat to cover the pipe. I feel better now as lots of Tylenol helps relieve the pain. By the way, many riders are existing on Vitamin I (Ibuprofen).

Last few days

We awoke in Quincy to the sound of thunder. The day's ride did not start until 10:15 when the storm had passed. The mileage for the day was 107, meaning that all riders were not at the hotel until after 6. Several of them called it the best day of the tour. A tailwind likely helped after the previous day's tough headwind.

The ride to Champaign the next day had a nice tailwind the last 40 miles. I was off the bike by then. Carol, Robin, and I had a nice dinner with Champ Walker and his wife Roni. Champ pedaled a hundred miles to see us averaging over 20 miles per hour.

Quincy

I missed this leg six years ago. It was 48 degrees with a thunderstorm at the start. Not my idea of a day at the beach. So I had only my second day of full-day cycling on this trip. And it was a hard one with difficult headwinds all day. I cannot remember being this tired after a day of riding.

Jeff and Roberta on their tandem. Always upbeat, even on days that are not friendly for tandem cyclists.

Mike, Rich, and I having a laugh at the SAG today.