Today we woke up to showers for only the second time since we started this ride. We took advantage of the time to have a good breakfast and watch the first 30 minutes of the Tour. At 8:00 AM, we started our ride for the day in a light shower – no lightning. We rode in rain for about an hour and wet roads for an additional hour or so. The terrain was more rolling hills with trees everywhere. We hit the steepest hill on the ride so far, luckily the hill was only about ½ mile long – 16% to 18% grade…and yes, Matt beat me to the top – Rule of 27 still applies.
We climbed a total of 3,387 feet over the 114.2 miles we rode today. Once again we were chased by dogs. This time we had three of them at once. Matt has taken up the habit of growling at them. This usually freezes them for just a second – giving us a chance to sprint by them.
We met Matt’s sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece for lunch in Cuyahoga Falls, about 70 miles into the ride. We had a good visit and then rode the last 44 miles to Warren OH under sunny skies. Matt’s sister brought us dinner shortly after we arrived at the hotel. We averaged 18.5 mph today, not bad considering the wet conditions and hilly terrain.
Based upon the weather forecast, we should have good weather the rest of the way – no rain and relatively cool temperatures. We are now less than a week from the Atlantic Ocean. What started out as a Ride Across America has now become a Ride to Saturday. We are now 2,807 miles from our start and 650 miles from our goal.
