Start: 6:38 AM

Finish: 5:57 PM  

Saddle Time: 8:45

Ascent: 1,271 feet

Descent:  1,516 feet

Miles: 104

Total Miles: 3,709

Highlight: Finally, a century ride.

Lowlight: Three miles into the ride I had to remove my bags and take off the rear wheel to fix a fender bolt that came loose.

Cyclemeter:  Follow this link to see the data I’m collecting with the cyclemeter app. You can see gps information, speed, elevation, distance, cadence and heart rate. Better viewed on a computer where it’s easier to play around with the graphs.

I expected to have multiple 100+ mile days on this tour, especially riding through the midwest with flat terrain and the wind at my back.  At least some of those days should have a strong tailwind creating the perfect recipe for high mileage riding.  That didn’t happen.  Winds this summer were almost exclusively out of the south to east, rarely behind me. I wanted to fit in at least one before it’s over and today the accommodation locations matched up perfectly.

I’ve met a few people along the way who are routinely doing 100+ mile days, all solo, young guys. That would not work for me for a few reasons.  First, I was never really comfortable on the bike.  My legs and endurance improved a lot but the rest of my body never adapted.  I expected a 2-3 break-in period of getting used to riding all day, everyday. Like the tailwinds, that never happened. My neck/shoulders and butt always started to hurt after about 50 miles and was the limiting factor with how far I wanted to ride. Riding pleasure decrease after 50 miles and dropped dramatically after about 75. Second, I think it would have increased my likelihood of ending up injured.  One of my concerns starting this trip was I don’t recover fast. Getting beat down day after day would likely eventually break me.  I think 75-85 mile days are my sweet spot, a decent days ride without leaving me exhausted. Third, I actually want to see things along the way.  I like to stop at roadside historical markers or other points of interest. If you are riding 100+ mile days you really don’t have time. Today was singularly focused on riding 100+ miles.  I didn’t take many pictures, I had a lot of riding to do.

Last night I used Grubhub to order up Chinese food since there was nothing but a gas station within walking distance of my motel so I had the leftovers for breakfast. Ordering delivery is such a waste of money but at times like this it works perfectly. I didn’t want to make any significant food stops along the way so a big breakfast should keep me going for a while.

The first 15 miles was paved canal trail to Schenectady where the canal bends north before descending to Albany.  I followed Google’s directions which had me take roads to Albany, then head south on route 9. All the todays road riding was along New York established bike routes so the shoulders tended to be decent with bike paths through some of the cities.

At about 20 miles the skies started to get very dark. I checked the weather and found a thunderstorm warning for the next half hour.  When slight rain started to fall I figured it best for me to take cover and see what happens.  I stopped at a gas station and had a breakfast sandwich, not that I needed it but if I’m stopping I might as well make use of the time, it will save me a stop later. The storms never really developed in my area so I started riding again after about 15 minutes.

The heat and humidity were picking up, it was noticeably oppressive.  I’m at the point now where I really don’t pay attention to the weather other than wind. I’ve been out in the heat all summer so I feel acclimated to riding in most conditions.  On a bike you at least get a breeze cooling you down and if I’m not in serious climbing mode I’m really not exerting myself all that much so I don’t overheat until temps hit the high 90’s but I admit to feeling the humidity today.  I decided to stop at a gas station about every 20 miles to down a bottle of gatorade, eat something like ice cream and refill my water bottles. I think this worked well keeping me fueled and hydrated.

My brief ride through Albany was interesting. Parts of it felt like Brooklyn while others had  what were once really nice old houses, some seem to be in a state of restoration. My ride south was along Route 9 so parallel to the Hudson but too far away for any decent views.  There were a lot of nice old houses along the way but I was too hot and too singularly focus on riding to take many pictures.

I made it to my motel around 6:00, about an 11 hour day with stops. This is too much.  My legs felt pretty good but my neck and shoulders were killing me, I downed an Advil at about 80 miles hoping it would take the edge off. By the time I hit the high 90 mileage I was more mentally tired than physically.  Riding on the road in traffic all day is exhausting, I’m constantly keeping an eye on the shoulder ahead, picking my route through the various potholes and debris along the way while keeping an eye on traffic behind me. I noticed as time went on I was less capable of simultaneously doing all those tasks and I was riding more reactionary to what’s right in front of me.  This can get dangerous as I may swerve into traffic or hit something on the road that could cause a flat or other damage to my bike. Other than my neck and shoulders my body could easily do another 20-30 miles if needed but my mind was done. I think this is about my limit for a safe ride. I’m glad I was able to fit in a century ride, my first on tour and my first ever.  I may do another one in the next week or two, on the Maybrook and Duchess County trails I’ll be riding on today. This time without bags, with a recovered body and off the roads. I’m curious how I’ll feel.

Last day tomorrow, hard to believe. It will be an easy 55 mile ride on familiar roads and trail, including the Maybrook and Duchess county trails where I did a lot of my training rides before leaving for Seattle. I’m sure while riding I will recall what I was thinking back then about the upcoming tour, now with the advantage of hindsight having complete a cross country bike ride.