Hello Everyone,

Sorry of being a day late with this post, but I was so tuckered after yesterday’s ride that I fell asleep and actually missed some festivities as well as my blog post. We had two really hard days back to back with considerable climbing, traffic, congestion and “not-up-to-date” roads.

We left Brattleboro under threat of rain, but it sounded as if the sky would clear by early morning. At mile 2.4 we hit the New hampshire state line and took some photos and sped off. I was initially intent on hammering the day, but I encountered Herm taking photos of a manmade waterfall and decided the best way to spend the last real day of riding would be taking it easy with a friend. Herm savors the occasion and although he can ride really fast, often stops to smell the flowers and chat with the locals. It was a good call as we rode the entire day together much as we did on several other days.

The one thing that I forgot about this day from 2 years ago was more than a few really steep climbs. The sweat would be pouring over your eyes and your legs screaming. WE had these climbs off and on for the first half of the ride. We were not in a particular hurry and took time for photos and chatting. In a matter of hour, the great adventure would be over.

We hit the first SAG at mile 34 and again took our time and chatted with the folks there. After the SAG, we had a long climb and within 7 miles encountered the Massachusetts State line. This was our last state line crossing and only Herm and I were there to commemorate it. I was the last person to ross into Massachusetts. Shortly thereafter, Herm and I stopped in a small Massachusetts town to take some photos of a church. A local man named Doug stopped to chat with us and we talked about politics, his town, the fact that the rest of our ride was mostly downhill and the Boston Red Sox. It is some of these encounters that add a lot to the trip. He was very proud of his town and made us feel welcome.

Sometime before the second SAG and the very last SAg of the tour, it began to rain. Ihad taken off my rain jacket but the rain wasn’t cold. It made riding a little more difficult and the traffic on many of these roads was heavy so extra precaution was warranted.

As we got closes to Burlington, the realization that our great journey was almost over began to set in. Herm and I got off track a few times but always managed to get reoriented. Within a quarter mile of the hotel, we stopped for lunch and saw several others of our group pass on the highway. They must have stopped along the way as we thought they were in front of us.

Sometimes after 4:00, Herm and I rolled into the hotel and we fist bumped and hugged. Herm’s wife captured some of it on camera. I was extremely tired and sore and laid down only to wake after 8:00 a d miss the riders dinner. I heard that Alan waxed poetic for a long time and undoubtedly, his talk alone would have been worth the price of admission. I certainly missed a lot by not being there, but my body required rest as I hardly slept the night before and as my British friends say was quite “knackered”.

The next morning is the final ride to the beach and the celebration dinner afterwards. I will miss these guys. I also want to acknowledge Randy and Tom. andy had to abandon the tour in Kansas because of recurring knee pain that will require surgery. Tom only cycled with us for 2 weeks, but is as much a part of the group as anyone. Both of these guys are class acts and my hope is that both of them will be able to experience this ride in its entirety some day.

More to come.

Tailwinds

Chuck