We woke at 0600 this morning. After a delicious breakfast and a quick route meeting, our group hit the road. I was running a number of errands, so Lenny and I left almost last, just ahead of sweep, chasing Jane and Keith at chase pace.
At around mile 20, we got a phone call from Jane. They took a wrong turn a few miles back, so we ended up passing them. Lenny and I waited for Jane, Keith, and Kyle Rudzinski (KRud). Jane and Keith rode with us until just after first lunch, then Jane and Keith dropped back as the rest of us took off for the state line.
We have state line sprints on this trip, with brownie points going to the first people to enter a new state. My GPS navigation system lets me know exactly where the state lines are, and plan accordingly. Unfortunately, Lenny has the same exact system, so he can use the same information. The sprint comes down to tactics. For the New York state line sprint, I dropped behind Lenny and Dave Miller, let them gain some space, downshifted, and sprinted past them with enough of a speed difference that the could not catch me. Well, I knew Lenny would use this same exact tactic, and he did. With about 1200 feet to go, I listened very carefully for his downshift. When I heard it, I sprinted, drafted him, and passed him just in time. (KRud came in third, a couple of minutes later.)
We waited at the state line for 15 minutes for Jane and Keith, and took some photos. When we were set to leave, Jane's chain snapped! Keith and I combined our bike repair powers to get her on the road.
At around mile 20, we got a phone call from Jane. They took a wrong turn a few miles back, so we ended up passing them. Lenny and I waited for Jane, Keith, and Kyle Rudzinski (KRud). Jane and Keith rode with us until just after first lunch, then Jane and Keith dropped back as the rest of us took off for the state line.
We have state line sprints on this trip, with brownie points going to the first people to enter a new state. My GPS navigation system lets me know exactly where the state lines are, and plan accordingly. Unfortunately, Lenny has the same exact system, so he can use the same information. The sprint comes down to tactics. For the New York state line sprint, I dropped behind Lenny and Dave Miller, let them gain some space, downshifted, and sprinted past them with enough of a speed difference that the could not catch me. Well, I knew Lenny would use this same exact tactic, and he did. With about 1200 feet to go, I listened very carefully for his downshift. When I heard it, I sprinted, drafted him, and passed him just in time. (KRud came in third, a couple of minutes later.)
We waited at the state line for 15 minutes for Jane and Keith, and took some photos. When we were set to leave, Jane's chain snapped! Keith and I combined our bike repair powers to get her on the road.
Not too long after that, KRud took a spill after slapping my butt and hitting Lenny's tire. I'm weary of unsafe riding.
With 18 miles to go, we met Ellen, and Keith got a flat. The four of us - myself, Jane, and Jane's parents - rode together for the very first time, and were the second group into Rushville. I still can't believe how strong Jane's parents are on the bicycle! I can see where she gets her talent.
We had a lovely time with our hosts in Rushville, IN. I organized a bicycle clinic, where I taught adorable youngsters the ABCs of bicycle repair: air pressure, brakes, and chain. I had the pleasure of speaking with Sam, a very bright man who gave us all kinds of useful information about our route to Bloomington. After a fantastic dinner and a short town hall meeting, I even got to pre-pack my bag and sleep at a reasonable hour.
Posts
