20 May 2011 Fast America Day 27

Wooster, OH to Warren, OH

Mileage:                     100.88 miles incl. bonus miles

Riding Time:              6:55     Riding Speed 14.6 mph

Total Time:                 7:35

Climbing:                    4027 ft.

Flats:                           0

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/86869041

http://app.strava.com/rides/593257

I think that the new Chris showed up today, but he chose to ride an easy recovery day after the magic of yesterday. The terrain today was a mini version of Missouri.The weather was cool and beautiful and it was a good day to mentally prepare for the long day tomorrow.

Here are some pictures of the Roark factory and some BEAUTIFUL scenery from today (will give you a very good idea of the flooding in Ohio):

https://picasaweb.google.com/hoeberc/FastAmericaDays2127?authkey=Gv1sRgCMy7qLeNlo-8Zg#

There were some beautiful stretches under a green tree canopy. The only problem with this was is that it created mottled light and it was extremely difficult to navigate some of the worst roads that we have seen the entire trip. There were some potholes large enough to swallow both the bike and rider. I made it through rattled but unscathed. We were also on a bike path for three miles with beautiful pavement.

The day did produce a first for the trip – and it produced it twice; namely, I got lost. The first time I was simply sailing along and I forgot a turn. A half mile later I woke up and said to myself- “Did I make the turn?” I continued another half mile until I was pretty sure I had missed it and turned around and got back on track. The second time, I guess there was a fork in the road in the town of Niles (which lets you know that it was the birthplace of President McKinley) and I took the wrong fork. When it came time to make the next turn, I could see that I was not where I was supposed to be. I interrupted a guy in his backyard, made friends with his dog, and got things sorted out. The extra three miles got my century; the ride was officially only 98 miles. I will have to be much more on my toes tomorrow, as we ride along the southern shore of Lake Erie.

I wondered before the ride if I would get stronger as the ride progressed. The answer is an unequivocal yes. Riding the 100^th miles is no longer hard – it’s just another mile. You will also notice that I haven’t mentioned my foot in awhile. Once the weather cooled down that has not been an issue. The only physical issue I have is tingling in my left hand. Riding can be very hard on the hands; there is a lot of pressure on the nerves and vibration is absorbed in the hands. My left hand often goes numb during the ride, and that numbness is persisting afterwards now (makes it hard to type!). I am anxious to see if it goes away with a few days off the bike.

This was our last Friday on the road. And tomorrow, I feel like we enter our last state – NY (we still will have VT, NH and MA to go, but they are really small, so I am not counting them!).