Distance: 41.0 mi, Climbing: 3,238 ft,
Completed: 104.6 mi, 6,873 ft
Every day gets a little bit harder…and we have been ready.
Today, Joanna and I had 3,238 feet of climbing over 40 miles. That is over 1,500 feet more climbing than yesterday. It felt like we were always climbing today. But, we had the legs. Days like today help build confidence for the days to come. I was a bit nervous that the hills would be too much for us while carrying 25-30 pounds of gear each, but so far we handled it well.
At the hotel breakfast buffet, we met Brooke. She asked about our jerseys, and we proceeded to have an enjoyable meal together. She had lived in Missoula, Montana, the home of Adventure Cycling Association, so she knew about the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, which we are riding towards and will connect to in Kentucky. Brooke has done many meaningful, long-distance rides with family and friends, and it was wonderful to hear about her adventures.
The best part of today was that we started to get mostly out of the city and onto some beautiful country roads. If it were not for all the climbing, I could ride these roads all day.
I knew the route today passed close to my sister’s house. I did not realize how close. We ended up going right through her town. When I saw the “Entering Randolph, New Jersey” sign, I had to give Sharon a call. She came out, and met us along the way. Sharon even carried our bags in her car for us so we could ride some of the big hills in Randolph without all that extra weight. Thank you, Sharon!!
The original version of the route I created for today had a super-steep climb at about mile 32, which I was hoping to avoid. I could not seem to avoid the hill, but I found a gentler way to climb it which traded a short steep climb with a longer gradual climb. Well, the replacement climb seemed to go on forever. I am not sure it was a win. It was brutal.
When the brutal climb ended, we were rewarded with a five-mile downhill into town and to our hotel. We got in late again, just before sunset. We are looking forward to significantly less climbing tomorrow.
