Thank you all who followed this adventure. My apologies for not sharing the day and some pictures sooner. If nothing else, scroll to the bottom and catch the video!
Good morning!
Fall days in NEPA can truly me special. This day was one of them. It started brisk (low 40s) with a beautiful sunrise over the lake as we made final preparations for a day in the saddle. As we started our day we were immediately met early morning beauty. Lifting fog. Long warming sun rays.
Sun, clouds, fog and of course, gravel
By late morning the skies had cleared and our bodies were warm. We plugged away at a blistering pace (j/k). We strolled around the beautiful countryside at around 12mph. Honestly the hardest part about keeping any sort of pace or plan was all the lovely vistas. It was hard not to stop and take picture or two every 15 minutes.
By midday the skies were clearing and the sun warm. The hills though, were still relentless. Similar to Archimedes quote of a long enough lever and a fulcrum a simple machine can do wonders. In this case the incredible gearing range of the Open Wide gravel ride made steep hills feel tolerable. Granted I was climbing anywhere between 4 and 6mph.
6+ hours in the saddle and still smiling
Early evening brought with it the sun on the other side. Setting and closing out another day. As good as the legs felt it was the rest of the body that was getting tired. It's not too often I say, "my elbows are hurting" when I'm riding a bike, but I certainly did. That's the thing when you do something for the first time...you just don't know what to expect and how the body will react.
Vista like these were around just about every bend in the road
Thank you all for following along, supporting the cause, whether this year or last, or even with other cancer charities. Don't forget to check out the video below, and for those interested donations are still being accepted:)
Until the next adventure, keep the rubber side down.
-Tim
