Both Mike and I seemed to be in a bit of a funk today and our initial riding pace reflected that mood. Right out of the hotel we got stopped by a very long light and that cost us about 5-7 minutes on the rabbit pack and the early birds. But we didn't care.....
We were just strolling along at about 15-15.5 mph enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning and the beautiful neighborhoods. We got a little distracted and missed a turn at the 23 miles point and it cost us about 3 miles and another 15 minutes. But we didn't care......
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| A peaceful day for a stroll on a bike. |
We arrived at the first SAG at 38 miles which is the place we normally catch up with some of the early birds but alas no riders were there and Robin gently said....'I was beginning to worry about you two'. I guess we were strolling along at too leisurely of a pace after all. Also, we both noticed the clouds beginning to get a little dark and organized and since it was only 0930, we started to care....
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| 0930 and already clouding up...... Uh Oh. |
So departing the SAG we ramped up the speed to close the gap. Anyway, we began catching the early birds at about mile 45 and by the time we reached the second SAG at mile 75 we were up with all but the speediest of the rabbits. The WX actually improved and stayed dry for us all the way to Wooster.
The tour organizers warned us that after the 2nd SAG to expect some 'steep climbs ahead'. Wow, that's a little like telling someone that's about to be hit by a tsunami that they are about to experience moisture!! The next 15 miles was reminiscent of the MO rollers but these OH gems were even steeper. Some riders commented that the first 5 miles out of the SAG was the most difficult of the tour.
On one short section of one climb my Garmin estimated the road gradient to be 18%. Now I'm pretty sure is was not that steep but it was often claiming 14% and I would believe every bit of that. Go try to walk up a 10% grade and you'll see what we were up against today. It was a real struggle.
This particular area is Amish country with a number of roadside signs signaling slow-moving buggies. I did happen to see a couple of buggies today.
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| Mike K on the road having just passed an Amish buggy. |
Well, its about time for the evening 'route rap' discussing tomorrow's 93 mile ride to Niles, OH and then dinner.
About the WX forecast..... I finished the ride today at about 2:30pm without getting wet. Actually the sky didn't look too threatening at that time even with the poor outlook of 0930. However, in the time it took to me take a shower, talk to Michele about her drive and start on this blog entry, the sky just came apart. There is a very active lightning storm going on outside with heavy rain. From the inside of the hotel room it's kind of fun for this California resident to watch. However, I'm sure glad we didn't get caught riding in this one.
Looks like the weather-guessers missed this forecast by 90% today since outside is definitely a 100% chance of 'precipitation'.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Tom
Click here to see details of today's ride:
Day 38: Marysville to Wooster OH by xctom2012 at Garmin Connect - Details
1 comment:
Lazy mornings are good to have; even better is the ability to make up for them in the afternoon! Good stuff, Tom!
Ken
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