Day 33 Keene to Amesbury

The last day. We left under nice blue sky's and no sign of rain. In fact the temperature was st to get into the 90's. The terrain was rolling and we had a nice quiet run into the first SAG. This being the last for the tour. Lunch was considered different. As we were all to regroup twice during today there was no use racing. In fact once we had passed the slowest rider, who had left early we rolled along with a small bunch at a nice gentle pace.

Leaving Keene.

We had a couple of steep climbs and Lasse the big Norwegian was heard to state "why the #$%$# do they choose this %$$%$ hill? Is it just to &^%$% my day". We translated as " I love to climb.

We had lunch in the car park of one of the motels they stay at during the cross country tour. The one that takes 52 days.

Judy foolishly started stocking red liquorice in the SAGs.

Apparently it was quite popular. As it went down rapidly.

We were told not to rush out of lunch as the last rider was 12 miles away. We dawdled to the first regroup. On the way we missed a turn. Once again so did some others in front of us and we met them coming back. This saved us some bonus miles. Apparently they had asked a local and she had directed them. Unfortunately they had misread the instruction and raced off down highway 107A whereas we needed 107. Jason and I yelled at them as we stopped to check the map. But they were gone. We turned on 107 and quickly ticked off the appropriate cues. We were on track. Arriving at the first regroup point Judy said we would need to wait at least n hour so we headed to Dunkin Donuts. The 107A boys must have realised their error and arrived at the regroup point. In Dunkin Donuts the air was on and we sat in the cool until Judy text Jay to say the back markers were approaching and we were soon to leave. A few mil further on and another regroup we also picked up a police escort to the beach. He stopped all cars at all intersections. It was great we went through red lights and stop signs behind blaring sirens. we then hit the beach. Lasse had a surprise as his wife turned p from behind the fence. This was totally unscheduled.

 Atlantic? Looks the same as the pacific! Maybe we should ride back and check!

After the wheel dip we rode back to the motel. Cleaned and packed the bikes.

Today's ride was 114 miles in 6:50.

Total distance for the trip is 3470 miles: 5584 km. Average km per day of riding is 169 miles per day.

Day 32 Amsterdam to Keene

The day started a little later than normal as originally the restaurant had told Judy that breakfast was from 6:30 am. However, as we were some of the very few guests the actual restaurant man told us at tea that he could start at 6 if we wanted. A text to Judy telling her same was sent. She must have decided to leave things as the were. Nevertheless breakfast started at just after 6am for those keen ones. It was one of the nicer breakfasts. In fact by all accounts the restaurant here was really good. Our dinner was great here. The weather dawned fine and warm. Leaving the hotel we hit a 15% climb straight from the gate. Ouch that hurt as it was reasonably long. After that we rolled along and caught a little bunch which we rode with for a bit. This bunch stopped when we came upon one of our early starters- he was stopped on the side of the road in the middle of some road works it appears as if he fell off or had a small crash of some kind.

We crossed two state lines today. We passed through Vermont and into New Hampshire.

Today consisted of 3 major climbs and some "rollers". Well I consider any roller" that has a passing lane on it to be a hill and there were plenty of these. Someone measured in excess of 9000 feet of climbing today. Some good downhills.

 Scenery along the way.

 Summit of another climb-Hogback Mountain.

Hmm where's that again.
The climbs splintered the group and we found ourselves first to arrive at the hotel at 3:58. Others arrived slowly and the luggage a little later.

Distance 125m in 7:24.

Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same so could be along day as we wait for the group to regroup before hitting the beach enmasse.  Bring on the last day.

Day 31 Lverpool to Amsterdam

There was more rain last night but this morning dawned fine and warm. Breakfast was the usual scrum. It is amazing that some places are not ready for a swarm of 25 hungry bodies in the morning. Some of the later cyclists missed out on the cereal. Never mind. We packed and left at 7 ish. Going through town as a reasonably large group was a tad chaotic and the red lights soon split us up. The wind was semi favourable.

It turns out that Chris, the rider who crashed, has a cracked vertebrae and thus is unable to continue the ride. We were all given the be careful out there talk again last night. It was in no way Chris's fault a woman failed to yield.

We rode alongside the Erie canal most of today. There is a series of locks along this. The first SAG was near the highest one. We had no view of this. The ride after lunch was quite nice with a couple of climbs and then gentle downhill.

The total distance today was 119 miles in 6:15.

 I wonder if they have enough cash in there for me?

A welcome from the Hotel.

As Mike and Steve said this place is run down/dump. It used to be a bustling textile industry town by the river now it's really slowing dying.

2 days of riding to go with tomorrows another of the big climbing days as we go over the Appalachians.

Day 30 Batavia to Liverpool

The days are really going fast now and soon we will be at the Atlantic.3 biking days to go. The day started as all the rest and this time we got both the alarm and the wake up call- we were already awake. Breakfast, we suspected, would be chaos as the original deal done under the old brand for the hotel included breakfast bu the new brand id not. As we all marched into the restaurant security told us that we had a special room next door. He opened it up and  they slowly supplied scrambled eggs crispy bacon toast and pastries as well as coffee and orange juice. The last 4 days of biking are all around  120 miles some with over 7000 feet of climbing. This means we will leave at 7 ish for these. The forecast was for thunderstorms and rain latter in the day. The wind was from the south. This meant we had around 1 mile of headwind then around10 miles of mostly tail and the rest cross wind. We rode with Eric to the first SAG and there was some excessive tootling in the tail wind. Karen told us at the SAG that Chris one of our riders was hit by a car and taken to hospital. By all accounts his bike is totalled and he was okay. even protesting that he wanted to carry on riding. Sense prevailed and he was taken to the hospital. Apparently the staff will pick him up this afternoon/evening.

Whoops-all the air has gone to the top -Lee just made it to the SAG

Are we in USA?

From lunch to the hotel was a nice ride. The weather held off. We beat the luggage van in. However it arrived 15 minutes after us. Perfect, unload and shower.

121 Miles in 6:55.

Day 29 Dunkirk to Batavia

After yesterday's 140 miles this is a shot 84. We went to a Greek place for tea last night and this turned out to be a good choice. Others who stayed at the hotel had really slow service etc. They didn't seem to realise that a group of 8 on separate bills confuses the poor servers. Never mind. RAP was to be at 8 with load at 8:30. However, we were loaded and gone by about 8:15. The hope being that we beat the predicted thunder storms. Also some people were taking a side trip to Canada. We passed as close as 8 miles to Buffalo so this would not be too onerous. Apart from some more of Jason' special navigating. Never let him near the front when a turn is coming up we made the one an only SAG at 10:30 ish. Needless to say not much food was consumed for lunch. The ride from lunch as a gentle spin. Th legs were feeling yesterday's tootling a little. However, we arrived at the motel "holiday Inn" after going past it by 1/2 a mile. We unfortunately then had to wait for a room. We waited for an hour or so.

How Americans spell "Holiday Inn" no wonder everyone missed it.

Waiting for a room.

Distance to 83 miles in 4:40.

Day 28 Warren to Dunkirk

It is hard to believe that now even normal people can count the number of days left on one hand. Apparently the military consider 7 to be the magic number hence why Mike has said for the last 2 days we are down to one hand. Today being the longest mileage day. everyone was keen to be gone as soon as they opened the van for packing. Before going to breakfast I discovered that my back tyre was flat. Weird as last night whilst Jason go his wheel trued and a new chain I swapped the back tyre for a new one as it was showing signs of wear after  4500km. So after breakfast I swapped out the tube. At least it kept me busy instead of having to watch the weather channel. We set off just after 7am. There was a small group in front of us and although we were making good progress they were pulling away. I hate chasing. After around 40 miles Lasse who had found a  flat also, came motoring up with a group in tow. Apparently they were cruising along at 27 mph. We arrived at the first SAG at 47 miles which was by a covered bridge.

At the SAG we found that the group in front had flown past the turnoff and was gone. Mike also instructed us that we needed to ease off if we wanted the lunch van to make lunch before us. So we waited with the growing group at the bridge and then meandered off  enmasse. The trouble was that the lunch stop was to be at a yet to be determined position so we waited until the trailer went past before increasing the speed.

To pass the time waiting at the SAG I photographed wiry Mike. He is in the habit of speeding past in the van screeching to a halt, jumping out and snapping a pic from weird angles.

The next stop was the Pennsylvania state line.

Lunch was next at a small store.

Jason's only greens for the trip.

 Note the nice clear blue sky. There was little wind and the road was fairly tame. Jason somehow managed to find a pothole that took up half the road. Albeit that I moved right over to the other side of the road 200m away from It. He and the bike came away unscathed.

Then into the town of Erie. Before this we joined up with some local lads partaking in a fun ride. We even managed to make a turn that they missed. Right smack in the middle of Erie we ran into a funeral procession coming out of a Greek church. They had police stopping traffic so that the cars all got out onto the busy road. That didn't apply to us. The navigation all went well until Jason tried to take us up a one way street the wrong way- so we then hopped through the park and back on track.

Finally through "town" we were on the lookout for Jim as they had scheduled a third SAG today at a yet to be determined point. We passed a couple of lads at a leisurely 26 mph and they hooked on for a bit. Unfortunately Jim was just around the corner at a winery so we had to stop and check in. The least you need to do at a SAG is sign in so they can keep track of riders.

Then onwards to NY state line.

Although we were close to the lake there was not much water to be sen as it was shielded by trees. We arrived just before 3pm. Distance 138 miles in 6:58. A nice ride. There was a nice lady at the hotel who was setting up food and drink for us. She is a staffer for one of the other AbBike rides. Yum.

Views of Erie from the hotel.

Day 27 Wooster to Warren

A nice short day today just under 100 miles. The weather was warm the sun came out. The only real problem was the roads. In places they were so cut up that you climbed in an out of potholes. Often on a downhill run and hidden in the shadows you hit a cut up section at 35 mph. The bike creaked and groaned and you held on. The bike and body withstood the barrage. We all made the SAG and lunch. The best part was a 3 mile stretch on a bike path. No cars and smooth black-top. Tomorrow is the longest distance 139 miles.
Given the short day we packed and left at 7:30 ish. This gave us an extra 1/2 hour in bed. Breakfast was the usual fare.


Today we did 98 miles in 5:43.

Day 26 Marysville to Wooster

We awoke at 5:45 for breakfast at 6. Miracles occurred and both the wake up call and the alarm worked and went at the same time. Breakfast was at the hotel and included the usual as well as cinnamon buns. Yum.

The weather looked a little like yesterday, albeit a little warmer. We set out under cloudy sky's and 12C temperatures. The ride was mostly flat with at times a slight tail wind. We pass through small town America with "towns" every 10 miles or so. Mostly this means a collection of houses, school, church and at times some shops. Many of the churches have sayings on their notice boards.

The many turns needed today meant you had to concentrate. Some legs being only 0.1 miles long. At one point doing in excess of 30mph Jason yells from the back right turn as the front of the group -me- sails blissfully left. Back on track to the first SAG which was set up earlier than posted. This made the next leg to lunch a bit longer. We caught a bunch through a small town just as one of their members raced off down the wrong way. He eventually realised his error and was back by lunch.

Lunch was held at a rest area next to a small dam.

The ride after lunch was through rolling country with little traffic. Some roads were really rough. We saw flood warning signs and we passed fields with retreating water. In some cases the water had just recently backed off the road. All was going well until we were to make a right onto rt1950 when we came up against "road closed" signs and flooded roads. The instructions we have been given were to ring Mike so he could get his fancy gps going to find a detour. Just as I unhooked the phone from Jason's pocket Jim the mechanic pulled up. He quickly ascertained that straight through-right-rght-left would put u back on track. He said to Lasse (the Norwegian) he should wait until he had marked the road. Lasse just took off saying no problem.

However Jim spray painted n arrow on each corner and we easily avoided the flooding and were back on track with less than a mile extra.

Help we can't swim.

Follow the white arrows chaps-you da man JIM.

Some people who caught us just as we waited by the flood went straight through and did not realise they missed a turn. They got lost- surprise surprise. A couple again went straight down the highway- which we went on briefly for the detour. You gotta listen carefully and look out for those darn arrows.

The last road into town Karen had pronounced as HELL road (actually Heyl). She said you would know why when you hit it. It contained a few small pinches. Some were a little bit steep. Great for the legs. Finally into town and the hotel. Another miracle- not only did the room key work but we got two keys each. Who knows why, this is America after all.

Distance today was 104 miles in 5:56.. Forecast for rain tomorrow and a thunderstorm warning.

Day 25 Richmond to Marysville

We awoke early for the 6am breakfast. The tv indicated that it would be cool and cloudy with 40% chance of rain. After fighting yet another tour bus of oldies at the breakfast room we had the usual waffle and pastries/cereal/eggs etc. They all were muddling around the toaster waiting. They wouldn't make it in the army.  We had the route sheets given out at 6:45. After yesterdays muddle this route sheet was a bit excessive with 5 A4 sides of maps. As luck wold have it none of them were needed. The instructions that were written were adequate.

After leaving there was a brief shower and then a fine spell. After around 3 miles we passed into Ohio.



The first SAG (Support And Gear) came and went. The terrain was gently rolling but mostly flat. The temperature hovered around 10C, small showers came and went and the wind was minimal and variable in direction. The lunch stop was held in a church car park.

  Extra snacks for Jason.

After leaving lunch there was a brief cold shower. This quickly passed and we had a mostly slightly downhill run into own. This we cruised along at 20 mph.

On arriving at the hotel the woman said they had been having trouble with the lock on the door of our room and would one key be o. We both burst into laughter at this given our history with door keys.

Distance travelled today  16 miles in 6:14 .

A nice day's biking.

Day 24 Lebanon to Richmond

We awoke at 5:45 got up an had breakfast at the Hotel. We then went to the Roark factory. They make aerospace parts and a tiny corner of the factory is set aside for making custom Titanium bikes. Only about 8 riders went to this. The rest were to wait until we came back so the ride was not to far spread out. Unfortunately this was not the case and the rest were long gone when we arrived back.

The weather today was wet an cold.

After packing our gear we were quickly given a route sheet and told that the hotel had changed it's name. About 10 miles into the ride we came upon a road closed sign. There were AbB arrows telling us to follow the detour. Unfortunately somehow this was way off. We met a group of 5 cyclists coming back- they said "this is no the correct way". A phone call to Mike. Some of the earlier riders had gone through the "road closed" and were making their own way all the way to the destination. He gave us some instructions to get us on track- these were not correct- but with a bit of nous we arrived back on track. The fun had only just begun. later at another small town the road had been rerouted and the instructions were so far different from how the road went it was not funny. We stopped at an intersection o look at the map and try and guess the route when the team van indicated a left turn. It turned out they were lost too. After going up and down the road looking for Main street we finally settled on mapel street and ended back up on track. After having started lastish today and passing very few we were around the 5th to sign in at the lunch stop. Where it was 8C and raining. Off to the hotel 40 miles to go. rain and a bit more rain slightly uphill and into wind. We finally arrived 4:45 after 6:44 hours (of biking) and 113 miles. Not bad only 5 bonus miles. Everybody was pretty soaked.

Another day tomorrow.

Day 23 Tuscola to Lebanon

Th weather today was clear and cold. The wind was from the North and had a chill. The first 15 miles was a bash into the stiff breeze and false flat uphill. We gradually caught and passed several groups. Finally joining up with the big Norwegian, Lasse. We kind of worked together to the first SAG. Craig was already there relaxing on a chair. He and Lasse left together. Fine the two big boys could race to lunch. After lunch the wind turned more to a cross wind and, at times, was slightly behind us. We crossed into Indiana. At the same time we managed to get the Illinois sign as we left. As we missed this on entering because we took the ferry.

Goodbye to another state.

Prison on the boundary.

While passing the camera over we managed to drop a battery in the grass. So a pair of uncle Arthurs hunting for an AA battery in the long grass. Just after we had given up Jason found it. Lucky.

The rest of the trip was uneventful with mainly flat roads and cross wind that was at times helpful.

RAP was to be at 5. However, at lunch the 5 of us that were there said we would b lucky to make the hotel by 5. There is an hour time change forward in Indiana, the last for the trip. Apparently by the first SAG the back was 45 minutes behind. Anyway 121 miles in 7:21.

ent to Denny's for tea and the service was slow.