Me helping repair the flat tires
Hank is THE MAN !
A typical flat tire repair. Two guys working and the rest of us supervising
typical Sag support with excellent staff
Entering MassachusettsStats
Distance-99 miles
Wind-South 10-15 mph
weather-morning fog and afternoon rain
Today we rode from Providence N.H to Worcester Ma. a total of 93 miles. How, do you ask, was I able to ride an extra 6 miles. I am riding with a group of 7 people and as we were approaching the first SAG I rode down this big hill that was followed by an uphill. My method for doing hills is to get a very fast pace going down and using that momentum to help climb the way up. Even though I now "spin" I still use this technique. Well, as I descended I had passed all of the riders in my group and many of us rely on one or two people to navigate the route. I am not one of them. So, I passed the SAG and rode another two miles down the road before I realized the group was not behind me. After that realization dawned on me I then rode back to where the SAG was located. The good news was that my group had not left the SAG. The bad news was that I did not spend enough time re hydrating and consuming energy food. Actually, I am smarter than that but I felt guilty they had to wait for me so I ate and drank very little. We had another 70 miles to ride.
While the weather for the first 75 miles was overcast and at times foggy there was no rain. That was certainly not the case for the last 20 miles as the rain set in and we were once again getting soaked. Not only that but most of the climbing was done in the last 80 percent of the ride. Our group had two flat tires (thankfully not me, knock on wood) and stopped at a Dairy Queen 14 miles prior to the end of the ride. If those events had not taken place we would have arrived at our destination and missed the rain. However, we like to stop and smell the roses, thus, pedaling into a severe storm up and down hills. That made it quite an exciting ride.
Now the result of insufficient hydration. As we neared Worcester, I began getting leg cramps. At first they were tolerable but it got to a point that I unclipped so I could stretch my legs as the pain was becoming quite severe. The traffic in Worcester was wall to wall to such an extent we actually biked on the sidewalk to avoid some of the danger. Also, we got lost trying to find the hotel but it is all good as it ended well
Now for a very positive story. Hank our fearless 76 year old was one of our group that had a flat tire. After fixing it and we were on our way, Hank indicated that his gears were malfunctioning.
He decided to stop and call a SAG wagon to pick him up. However, after the van arrived Hank had fixed his problem and told them he would finish the ride. He not only finished in the brutal traffic and rain, he actually found our destination without a problem. HANK IS THE MAN!
Tomorrow we ride to Windsor Locks Ct. A total of 68 miles. We are all looking for a sunny day but if it isn't rain has a very cleansing quality. And yes Jim, I got my "come uppance"
Distance-99 miles
Wind-South 10-15 mph
weather-morning fog and afternoon rain
Today we rode from Providence N.H to Worcester Ma. a total of 93 miles. How, do you ask, was I able to ride an extra 6 miles. I am riding with a group of 7 people and as we were approaching the first SAG I rode down this big hill that was followed by an uphill. My method for doing hills is to get a very fast pace going down and using that momentum to help climb the way up. Even though I now "spin" I still use this technique. Well, as I descended I had passed all of the riders in my group and many of us rely on one or two people to navigate the route. I am not one of them. So, I passed the SAG and rode another two miles down the road before I realized the group was not behind me. After that realization dawned on me I then rode back to where the SAG was located. The good news was that my group had not left the SAG. The bad news was that I did not spend enough time re hydrating and consuming energy food. Actually, I am smarter than that but I felt guilty they had to wait for me so I ate and drank very little. We had another 70 miles to ride.
While the weather for the first 75 miles was overcast and at times foggy there was no rain. That was certainly not the case for the last 20 miles as the rain set in and we were once again getting soaked. Not only that but most of the climbing was done in the last 80 percent of the ride. Our group had two flat tires (thankfully not me, knock on wood) and stopped at a Dairy Queen 14 miles prior to the end of the ride. If those events had not taken place we would have arrived at our destination and missed the rain. However, we like to stop and smell the roses, thus, pedaling into a severe storm up and down hills. That made it quite an exciting ride.
Now the result of insufficient hydration. As we neared Worcester, I began getting leg cramps. At first they were tolerable but it got to a point that I unclipped so I could stretch my legs as the pain was becoming quite severe. The traffic in Worcester was wall to wall to such an extent we actually biked on the sidewalk to avoid some of the danger. Also, we got lost trying to find the hotel but it is all good as it ended well
Now for a very positive story. Hank our fearless 76 year old was one of our group that had a flat tire. After fixing it and we were on our way, Hank indicated that his gears were malfunctioning.
He decided to stop and call a SAG wagon to pick him up. However, after the van arrived Hank had fixed his problem and told them he would finish the ride. He not only finished in the brutal traffic and rain, he actually found our destination without a problem. HANK IS THE MAN!
Tomorrow we ride to Windsor Locks Ct. A total of 68 miles. We are all looking for a sunny day but if it isn't rain has a very cleansing quality. And yes Jim, I got my "come uppance"
Today's shout out goes to my beautiful wife Veronica and my two sons, Christopher and Eric. Great people who support my crazy rides!
Doing a great job of hanging in there. The sun will eventually shine on you guys!
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