Tuesday 10 October
Natural
Bridge to Troutville
28.7miles
@ 10.1mph Ascent 1,710’
There was a heavy mist enveloping the valley when I woke this morning and a check of the weather on the internet revealed a VDOT travel advisory, reporting widespread fog throughout the area.
The mist had cleared somewhat by my departure
around 9.30am but I had coasted no more than 400’ to the hotel exit before
coming to an abrupt halt. There was still enough mist to give rise for caution,
the highway was narrow and rose steeply uphill and around a curve, with no
shoulder worth mentioning. So the day began with a few hundred metres of cross-
training, better known as pushing.
Progress along US11 seemed slow, with many
undulations requiring a low gear over their crests, notwithstanding that
today's profile showed a general downward trend for the first half of the ride.
Matters were not helped when a sign misdirected me onto the Interstate on- ramp
and necessitated a retracing of steps back to the east side. The sign there was
only for an inconsequential county road, which could easily have been a dead
end. The lady in the adjacent gas station confirmed that the minor road was the
one to take “as soon as you step out the door, you're on the old wagon
route#11”.
Non-route #11 continued its undulating ways,
although it was actually pleasant cycling as many of the crests could be taken
without a gear change. At 12 miles in I was in the main street of Buchanan,
where I paused for a hot chocolate. I was actually despondent about the amount
of effort required to get thus far, to the point of even conjecturing that maybe
I hadn't managed to shake off Covid. The thought of the expected general upward
trend on the ride profile and two climbs highlighted on my cue sheet didn't
fill me with joy, either.
US11 became a four lane highway after Buchanan
and without exception vehicles used the outside lane to pass me. As an aside,
nary a rumble strip was sighted all day. By MP20, both climbs had been dealt
with without undue exertion. But what should then have been 7 regulation miles
to the town of Troutville were suddenly made quite onerous by a headwind that
was steady and occasionally strong. Respite only came at the northern end of
Troutville, where the road turned downward at grades approaching 1% - just
enough to coast or gently pedal without incurring a fatigue factor.
Two pluses at the end of the day: my motel
room was available, despite an early arrival AND there is a Cracker Barrel
restaurant just across the parking lot.
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