https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41755991
All but Ross were moving slowly this morning. I’d set the alarm for pm so only by luck awoke at 7 am. No problem, Tom was also still sleeping. The motel had no breakfast and only decaf for the one cup at a time coffee maker. We all went to the nearby Waffle House, then loaded and went. This was the worst motel so far and it cost in the mid range of most of the others. I’d chosen it for convenience when arriving by bicycle. Others are almost as close and almost surely better.
I had first sag today and since we were in civilization, I was able to get the van’s tires aired up at a Goodyear service center. No charge. The low pressure light went out. An auspicious start. The car GPS took me by larger roads to the first sag stop in Pleasureville. Even the major roads would have been good for a cycle route.
The bike riders reported their roads had been excellent. Pleasureville’s city hall was open with public restrooms that kept us from risking indecent exposure. I was feeling the best since the first day and set off with Ross and Tom. Bob had second sag.
The roads were good, low traffic and fewer PUC’s than the day before. We made good time to Gratz where Bob had the van parked in the shade of a walnut tree.
Ross had next sag. Bob, Tom, and I had a 9.7% 400-ft climb out of
Gratz. To make matters
worse, the road was on a twisty narrow road, blinded by woods, and
traveled by large dump trucks hauling stones. I was in my lowest gear the
entire way but never had to walk. Bob also managed to cycle the entire way. Tom had to turn on the "sport-mode" for his ebike.
From there to Owensville there were only minor climbs and a lot of large trucks. All were courteous and never scary.
We all met for lunch at the incomparable Family Billiards restaurant. We chatted with several locals interested in our adventure. After a leisurely lunch and milk shakes the cashier refused our money, telling us another patron had paid for us all. Bob eventually got the identity of our patron and left money to pay it forward.
After lunch, Tom decided to call it a day at mile 40. He’d not fully
recovered from yesterday plus his battery was running low after that long haul out of Gratz. He was
concerned he could not for complete the ride with power-support.
The last two legs were good with moderate polite traffic and two monster climbs. The last one dove into a densely wooded valley via a good surfaced one lane road. The climb out had a short section too steep for either of us to cycle. Very pretty but pretty hard. I don’t regret routing that way but will not do it again.
Our motel tonight is the Quality Inn in Dry Ridge. It is a tremendous step up from last night. Supper was at the next door Cracker Barrel. Tomorrow we enter Ohio.
Bruce
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