Day 38 - Marysville, OH to Wooster, OH - 103 miles - 3,901 feet of climbing - 6:22 hours in the saddle

Night frets….Crosswinds….Off Course….Short Steep Hills

I have been a fretter on this trip.  I think I got that gene from my Grandma Helen.  Many a night I lay awake worrying about the ride the next day. What will the temp be?  What direction will the wind blow? How much is the elevation gain? Will it rain?  But in the end, these are all things that I can not control, no matter how much I fret!  To date (except for maybe the ride into Santa Fe), all the fretting is for naught.  It may be a matter of my comfort, but not a matter of my achieving the goal!

It was windy and cool as we rolled out of the hotel at 7:30 this morning with most of the original 7:30 group intact.  Our route today was generally Northeast, with winds at 12+ mph out of the Northwest, which creates a crosswind for us.  So I was riding with a little lean to the left, which became unstable when a large truck roared by causing wind turbulence.  Just hold on tight and stay steady!  The funny thing about solo riding in crosswinds is a subtle turn in the road can bring either the joy of a slight tailwind or the misery of a slight headwind.  We experienced both today, but more often than not a slight tailwind was created.  

Due to the weather and my top tube bag’s broken zipper, my phone was buried deep in a back pocket and under a vest.  Not many pics today, but here are a few scenery shots of the farmland, barns, rolling hills and woods.

Haven’t seen a corn crib being used in years!

Me and my Wahoo were directionally challenged today and  was off course for about 5 miles at one point.  Fortunately, my off cue route and the official route came together.  SAG 1 (mile 38) was cool and windy and I debated putting on my rain jacket as it was a little misty (but didn’t).  Grabbed a bear claw, topped off my water bottles and headed back out.  On the 2 lane highway a Honda pulled up beside me and rolled down their window.  Wasn’t sure if I was going to get yelled at or what.  The guy just wanted to talk and learn about how far we were riding, etc.  It made me nervous talking to him while riding 18 - 20 mph with semis and cars coming in the opposite direction.  I was afraid he was either going to drift into the oncoming lane or into me on the narrow shoulder.  I told the story at SAG 2 (mile 75) and several other riders had similar experiences with the same guy.  David even pulled over and talked to him for 5 minutes.  About half way to SAG 2 (mile 75) I caught up to Mark Scheerer and rode with him for most of the rest of the day.  Together we missed several turns.  Fortunately Stephanie Small (UK) came along and set us on the right course.

The three of us rode the last 10+ miles together, which was a lot of fun.  We faced some short bloody steep hills with points of 8%+ grade.  That also meant that there was a steep downhill on the other side of the uphill.  Stephanie and Mark had a coasting contest to see how long they could go after a steep downhill without pedaling!

We got into Wooster at about 2:30.  Left our bikes at the hotel and went out in search of food.  Apparently most restaurants in Downtown are either closed on Monday or close at 3:00.  We ended up at bubble tea shop (that’s a first for me) for crepes.

After dinner at 5:30 I sought a brewery and found JAFB a block from the hotel.  I’m a happy man!

We just completed back to back century rides, which is not an easy feat after over a month of riding.  I am pleased with my riding and inspired by my fellow riders.  No fretting tonight as the ride is only 93 miles tomorrow (never thought I would say that)!  Stay tuned to learn if I should have fretted!

Savor the Journey // Achieve the Goal