Greetings from Richmond Indiana,

We are only a few miles from the Ohio border and we are looking at about 380 miles of riding over the next four days. There is a significant amount of hard climbs on several of the days. That is fairly daunting but I am dealing with a couple of other issues right now as well. More on that later

The ride from Indianapolis to Richmond was only 73 miles and I managed to do a few extra. The temperature at departure was in the low 50’s so it was quite cool. Almost right away, my bottom bracket started to rattle again . Almost like the sound of popping corn. It got progressively worse as the day wore on. I decided to get into the hotel ASAP so that Rick could check it out.

We have entered into some Amish communities and I saw a horse drawn buggy and a few road side sales of fresh fruits. Tomorrow we will in all likelihood see quite a few more. We had some gently rolling hills and the temperatures stayed cool all day.

We only had oneSAG around mile 33 and Carol had prepared some crescent rolls with strawberry cream cheese and fresh fruit. They were to die for…. Most of the riders wanted to stop in Hagerstown for lunch but I decided to press on because of the issue with my bottom bracket. f nothing else the noise was driving me nuts. I also felt somewhat listless and without a lot of energy. I was dealing with a slight headwind most of the day but tame by previous standards.

Once I entered Richmond with about 7 miles to go, I caught Jan and rode to the hotel with her. She asked :What is that terrible noise” and I had to confess it was my bottom bracket. Richmond is a fairly large and busty town so we were riding in a to of traffic which was quite the contrast after the pastoral country scenes.

Rick tok a look at my bike and also consulted with Tracy who is in Colorado for a few days. The problem is that the cranks connect to my bottom bracket and require a Cannondale proprietary tool to pen it. I called Big Shark and they have offered to overnight the tool and bearings to a future destination. It is alright to ride as long as the cranks remain stable. If they loosen, it could damage the frame. The best destination for the overnight is Eire Penn which is four days hence as well as a rest day. There is also a bike shop that may be able to help assuming they have the tool to open the bottom bracket.  We will see if it holds up that long.

I also took a nap and when i awoke, I had a sore throat and congestion. It seems to have cleared up some after dinner but that may have accounted for the listless feeling. I certainly hope to feel better as we need to ride 104 miles tomorrow.

Anyway, to put that into context and perspective, I have several friends who are dealing with issues far greater than mine. I can certainly ride in the SAg if the bottom bracket gives out or I have bad cold. No big deal. I am riding for veterans and am resolved to be as strong for them as the were for me. Some made very large sacrifices.

I very much appreciate the support and good will of my friends and colleagues. It certainly helps on the bad days. Many thanks for the kind words and ongoing support.

Tailwinds

Chuck