Another Century
Monday June 10,2019. Quincy, IL to Springfield, IL. 108 miles
Ascent/Descent= 2,726/2838 feet. Cumulative= 2,299 miles
It's amazing how your perspective changes about what is a long ride and what is not. 80 mile rides are average, but actually seem like a shorter ride due to days like today when we were slotted for a 106 mile ride, and were told at breakfast that the route had to be changed due to another road closure, so that we would now be biking 108 miles. Most amazing is that 80 or 110 miles day after day does not seem impossible or even unreasonable, it's just, "OK, let's get out there and ge it done."
We were again fortunate with weather as it was a cooler, less humid day, but the wind was significant and a bit of a wild card. Wind speeds of around 20 mph with gusts above 30 mph were predicted, and I suspect that some of the gusts were well above 30. We were traveling due east with wind direction NW to North, so not a tail wind, but overall some help. These were probably the predominant wind directions, but it swirled and came at us from all directions at different times. Crosswind gusts were never predictable, and there were a few that I thought might blow me off the road. In the afternoon thee was an overturned semi that caused traffic to be shunted, and it occurred to us that wind may have been the cause or a factor in the rollover.
Anyway the bikers all arrived safely, but not before a final 4 miles into a headwind that at times almost stopped me cold. One of the other cyclists, Bill from Milwaukee, had a flat about a mile into this struggle, and his wife, Linda, and another biker, Sohrab from Shrewsbury, MA, were helping him change it. I stopped too and told Bill that I was sorry about his flat, but glad for the chance to stop pedaling into the wind for a bit.
Cycling through Illinois political history, we travelled on Adlai Stevensn Drive, turning onto Everrett Dirksen Pkwy before reaching our home for the night, another Drury Inn, here in Springfield where Abraham Lincoln was practicing law when he was elected President.
Before the 5:30 start of the gratis happy hour with heavy hors d'oeuvres, we were staking out tables and competing with the other hotel guests including a sizable contingent of Illlinois Future Faarmers of America.
After that a shake from the Stake and Shake next door, blog and then bed.
Ascent/Descent= 2,726/2838 feet. Cumulative= 2,299 miles
It's amazing how your perspective changes about what is a long ride and what is not. 80 mile rides are average, but actually seem like a shorter ride due to days like today when we were slotted for a 106 mile ride, and were told at breakfast that the route had to be changed due to another road closure, so that we would now be biking 108 miles. Most amazing is that 80 or 110 miles day after day does not seem impossible or even unreasonable, it's just, "OK, let's get out there and ge it done."
We were again fortunate with weather as it was a cooler, less humid day, but the wind was significant and a bit of a wild card. Wind speeds of around 20 mph with gusts above 30 mph were predicted, and I suspect that some of the gusts were well above 30. We were traveling due east with wind direction NW to North, so not a tail wind, but overall some help. These were probably the predominant wind directions, but it swirled and came at us from all directions at different times. Crosswind gusts were never predictable, and there were a few that I thought might blow me off the road. In the afternoon thee was an overturned semi that caused traffic to be shunted, and it occurred to us that wind may have been the cause or a factor in the rollover.
Anyway the bikers all arrived safely, but not before a final 4 miles into a headwind that at times almost stopped me cold. One of the other cyclists, Bill from Milwaukee, had a flat about a mile into this struggle, and his wife, Linda, and another biker, Sohrab from Shrewsbury, MA, were helping him change it. I stopped too and told Bill that I was sorry about his flat, but glad for the chance to stop pedaling into the wind for a bit.
Cycling through Illinois political history, we travelled on Adlai Stevensn Drive, turning onto Everrett Dirksen Pkwy before reaching our home for the night, another Drury Inn, here in Springfield where Abraham Lincoln was practicing law when he was elected President.
Before the 5:30 start of the gratis happy hour with heavy hors d'oeuvres, we were staking out tables and competing with the other hotel guests including a sizable contingent of Illlinois Future Faarmers of America.
After that a shake from the Stake and Shake next door, blog and then bed.
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