Day 12 - Marion, KY to Rough River Resort State Park - 113.3 miles
Last night, I stayed at the United Methodist Church and at the time of my blog post, I was the only person there. At about 8:30, Simone Bailey (one of the TransAm racers) arrived. The guy that checked me in checked her in as well. I was laying on the couch watching YouTube videos when they arrived and frankly startled me.
(The church I stayed at)
Simone and I really didn't get a chance to talk much. She was exhausted and very hungry. She slept in the girls room and I left before she got up. Still it was nice to meet her and whatnot.
As I mentioned in my update post this morning, I picked up the breakfast of champions - Pop tarts and orange juice and hit the road.
There were a few climbs at the start of the day and a few more towards the end. In between it was smaller rollers. Most of which I could do in the big ring. I felt good until 60 or 70 miles in and was even riding in the drops between hills making really good time.
Around 60 or 70 miles in, I started feeling less and less comfortable. It was a slog for the next 50ish miles. I've had one other day that's been worse, but the later half of today was rough. I just kept pedalling and eventually made it.
It really was pretty out there though.
On the road, I met 3 TransAm racers - Richard Palfrey, Eric Schuman, and Cedric Andre. They were all nice and we talked for a little bit before parting ways. I found out later that Cedric had had a problem with his shifter and some locals drove him to a bike shop to get it fixed. Once again, more examples of how nice people really are.
(Catching and passing Richard)
As if that wasn't enough, about 5 miles from the end, a car passed me with bikes on the back. Half mile later, they were pulled over, standing by the road, offering me a Gatorade! They had just finished their bike ride and wanted to do a little "Trail Magic". It was amazing!
I got to my destination - the Rough River Resort State Park. It seems to be a nice park with a lodge, some cabins, a lake, and trails to hike. They've also got a dinning room and offer a buffet. Which I partaked of. 😀
Tomorrow, I'm headed to Springfield, KY. They're forecasting rain and thunderstorms for the next two or three days. I'm not looking forward to it, but I've had great weather so far.
Keep the faith Charles! You are not alone out their tackling the roller-coasters ... we're peddling right besides you ... can't you feel the up-draft? And we certainly appreciate you taking all the pictures to document our trip! :) All kidding aside - you've got a ton of people urging you on from their comfy chairs, breaking sweat to get another beer from the fridge - waiting patiently for your next blog! Keep the wheels rolling and the body hydrated. An apple, pear, banana or orange might go well with all those pop-tarts! May the wind be at your back and the skies blue! Simply in wonderment from NJ.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I thought I saw a shadow of someone next to me. Grab a beer for me too!
DeleteIn all seriousness, I'm glad people are enjoying the posts and appreciate the well wishes .