Day 11 & 12: Hills, Touring Tip, & Moving On
Posted on 01. Jun, 2009 by carlos in Touring
I decided to put day 11 & 12 together because they have the same tone. We left for the ~70 mile ride each day at about 10am and finishing at 9pm. That’s right…11 hours of biking through ugly roads, rude drivers, and dogs.
Touring Tip: Don’t follow the our route for these days. We will take you through hills with a 15% grade, people that say ‘hyu-hyuck,’ and you won’t get enough time to spend with your host. Make sure to look at the topography maps of the area, because these were planning-fail days.
We had amazing hosts each day, but getting there at 9pm doesn’t allow us to get past the basics. I’m personally a bit pissed about not being able to spend some time with our host in Wheeling, WV. He was cautious in the original days of when we asked him to be a host, even sending out a tweet polling his friends. After a few more weeks and him agreeing, he followed our progress with the same enjoyment as my mom. I may have to do this ride again with a 3-day stop in Wheeling.
Ohio welcomed us with a driver honking and opening the door in attempt to hit me. Luckily it ended with me holding a precious girl in my arms. She must have liked me because she didn’t drool!
This is Joe, with his helmet hair after day 11. (Notice the drained eyes and thoughts of setting fire to all the hills on our route.)
This is me half-dead on the floor while writing this post.
Hoping tomorrow will be different.
Marlene
02. Jun, 2009
Excited for your upcoming visit. Obviously we need to provide you all with some kind Ohio hospitality since the drivers are so rude here. It is true. I ride mostly on the bike trail, because there are sick folks here who like to run bikers off the road. Be safe! See you soon!
Becky
02. Jun, 2009
Hey. Glad you loved Pittsburgh as much as I do. Great city – and I lived there when there were still steel mills (including where the Technology Center is now located). Hang in there! The hills will end in northern Ohio and it will give your quads a bit of rest. You made it through PA – the Rockies will be easy. Now you will have to do a two-man pace line and take turns fighting the wind, but the worst is over and you will begin to realize how much stronger (both physically and mentally) you have become. Well done!
Daniel Philipson
03. Jun, 2009
hey guys, im really sorry about those jerks trying to run you off the road…keep safe out there…and Carlos, bro, take it easy…i know you’re pissed but you guys are trying hard as is, and doing great at it…you have lots of people rooting you on. the main thing to concentrate on is safety…if you both are physically able to keep riding then that’s something to be happy about…take care guys…please, be careful…