Illini territory

 

It is a measure of how far we’ve come and how our fitness has built up that we can look at a 92 mile day, following a 106 mile day, following two days of hellacious climbing, and say ho hum.

We had crosswinds again all day that slowed us down and that required serious power output to maintain that deliberate pace.  But it wasn’t, you know, hard.   We just knocked it out.  My acceleration into the wind has gotten crazy.

I keep thinking about what other nutty biking thing I can do to use all this fitness, after this ride, and before this fitness fades.  Because it is off the hook.

I think my favorite part of the day was that the 16+ people who ride in the “fast” group stayed together for the entire day.  (And picked up a number of the early starters as we went along.). The Georgia boys and the Germans Jens and Olaf were at the tip of the spear early, then the Columbus ladies, then John and I took over when the winds picked up late.   “David, you’re really good in the wind, why don’t you go pull for 5-10 miles?”   I see you.

The roads were exactly what I’m used to at home.   Small lanes winding past out of the way farmhouses, and through endless corn and soybean fields, with only an occasional mild incline or decline.

I listened to Daft Punk, and Eagle-Eye Cherry, and Ed Sheeran, and Cake, and Queen, and Black Keys, and T-Rex, among others.   I think T-Rex’s “Dandy in the Underworld” may be one of my favorite songs in quite some time.

We stopped at Peyton’s (mechanic/firefighter) bike shop on the way into Champaign and his mom had popsicles for us. :). Nice shop!  But they have a menacing neighbor.

I took a gamble and got a Great Clips haircut that turned out… not bad.   At least not bad for wearing under a helmet for the next 17 days.

I don’t know what is going on in Illinois, but every gas station has slot machines.  Riding through Decatur (home of Millikin University!) it seemed like every other establishment was either a dedicated gambling hall or a restaurant/shoe store/child care center loaded up with slot machines and video poker.

Staying at a Drury Inn again, which meant the usual free spread of pulled pork, Mac n cheese, nachos and hot dogs, and free alcohol.   Most people went out to eat someplace fancy.   I wasn’t interested.   Food just isn’t doing it for me these days, except purely as fuel.   Looking forward to my vegetable fast when I return home.

In related news, I had to adjust my helmet straps today because my face has gotten too skinny for it to fit with the proper snugness.

We have a rest day tomorrow, and as I’ve already done most of my chores, I think I will head out to see a movie.   Either the latest Mad Max or the latest Planet of the 🦍.

After tomorrow’s rest we ride for seven days through my home state of Indiana (I’ve been dragooned to serve as tour guide…) and Ohio.  Then a rest day in Erie PA.  Then seven days of riding in New York and New England and… we’re done.   How can we be down to just 14 days and 1200 miles?   

Maybe I’ll just do a 180 and head back to the west coast.   This idea that the prevailing winds run west to east seems to be B.S. anyway…