Marysville to Wooster

Today was another fine day riding through Ohio. The temperature started at about 68 degrees with blue sky an almost no wind. It warmed to mid 80s with a mild West wind. The terrain was rolling with increasingly steep hills. Some of the hills in the second half of the route were 10% to 15% grade.

When you’re already tired from riding 80 miles it requires your last reserves of energy to make it up the steep hills. To add to the challenge today, bike wasn’t shifting smoothly into the lowest gears. It would get between gears and the chain wouldn’t engage properly causing a loss of momentum while I tried to get it to engage. It’s like the clutch slipping in a car and not applying the power when you need it.

Every day after the ride there is a mechanic schedule were you can get Girard to address problems with your bike. I was second in line today. He diagnosed the problem to be too much slack in the shift cable and made the necessary adjustment. I sure hope that takes care of it since I think I will be using my low gears tomorrow again.

Bob from Wooster joined us for dinner tonight. Bob had a bad fall earlier in the trip and suffered a trip ending skull fracture. He spent several days in the hospital in pueblo Colorado before returning home to Wooster. It was great to see that his recovery is going well.

Here’s a brief report on my attempts to maintain a good energy level longer during this marathon. I packed cookies (oatmeal, cranberry, walnut, that Allison sent) in my bike jersey so I could eat quality food before the first SAG stop. I felt pretty good all morning. Rick and I stopped at a Subway shop for lunch that was located in a grocery store along the route. I had Veggie Delight sandwich and water, and then followed that with a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee. With this I felt good for the next 25 or so miles. With the increasing steepness of the hills over the last 30 miles and fact that it was the second day in a row of 100 + mileage I was spent by the time I arrived at the hotel. Thankfully tomorrow we only ride 93 miles. What a break! The next day will be just 96 miles. That takes us to Erie, PA. for a well deserved rest day. I will continue to try to eat more, earlier during each days ride.

Pat is concerned that I have lost weight. I’ve included a picture here to show that I am healthy. This is after completing about 85 miles of the day’s journey.

Response to Comments to Yesterday’s post:

It was great to hear from you Phil, I’m not making any commitments yet on what my next adventure will be! I think I will spend some time getting reacquainted with my home routine and enjoying a little less intense activities for a while.

Matt, Beam me some good energy vibes. I will need it over the next 11 days.