The day started out great. Due to a passing rainstorm, load and take-off were delayed an hour. The rain dried pretty quickly and left the morning a bit cooler. Road surfaces were wonderful and the first third of the day was very nice. You could hear the wheels humming on the road, and, to a cyclist, that's a pretty cool sound.
Our first SAG stop was in Sparta, WI, the reputed bicycle capital of the world. From what I understand, the first "rails to trail" was built here in Sparta, going to our next stop, Elroy. In Sparta we stopped to take pictures of Ben Biking, a huge statue of an old time cyclist.
Then we jumped on the bike trail of crushed limestone for the next 33 miles. The surface wasn't too bad, although at times the gravel was a bit loose. But it slowed the average speed down to about 15 mph. Along the way, there were 3 old railroad tunnels - long and dark. The first tunnel was nearly 3/4 of a mile long. The bike lights were swallowed up by the darkness. When you started, you could not see any light from the other end. On the last two, you could. At the end of the bike path, we stopped for a nice lunch. Two o'clock already and still 30 miles to go. Except we learned that, due to construction, we would be re-routed, making the day 7 to 8 miles longer, making it almost another century ride. Oh well, what's another few miles.
After lunch I began to feel a bit sluggish. And then it got HOT. I didn't have to stop, but I sure had to slow down a bit, as I could no longer keep the 18 mph pace. I started to feel a bit light headed (not dizzy), enough to give me some concerns. Thankfully my riding buddy Amy stayed back to make sure I got in safely. We finally got to Wisconsin Dells just after 5:00, the longest day in the saddle yet. We were tired, beat, ready for a nice showere and dinner. So why were they just emptying the luggage van as we got there? Well, the hotel had recently changed hands and the new owners didn't have any of the reservations!! The ABB team was great and arranged rooms at 3 or 4 different hotels. Certainly not as convenient, but catastrophe averted!In the past four days, we have ridden just about 400 miles. Holy smokes. No wonder I'm so tired.
Luckily we only have an 83 miles ride tomorrow!
Be well. Do good! I'm out like a light!
Don
great job posting after that kind of a day! We too experienced the great ABB creativity and ability to improvise. They seemed to be able to handle any of a variety of situations from broken bones, early exit arrangements, dropped restaurant reservations, weather emergencies, rerouting needs etc. Keep on pedaling. Chris
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