Today's ride was cool, but breezy. Every time I took a leg with a southerly or westerly vector, I found myself facing demoralizing headwinds. Fortunately, on this course, this provided a tailwind for the final legs. Without the winds, this would be a delightful ride: no hills and pleasant backroads with great shoulders.
Delaware has been that hole in the doughnut for some time. It's the one Northeastern state that I had not completed. Hurricane Irene forced the cancellation of this August 27th ride. As I returned from Tennessee on Sunday, the local forecast looked like rain for Monday through Thursday. But, Delaware was forecast to be rain-free. With Robbie's help, I put together a self-supported century that used the Shorefire cue sheet. In fact, the road markings were still in place.
Saturday's Sunrise Century was something else altogether. Tennessee continues to experience a brutally hot summer, and the temperature on Saturday reached over 100 degrees. It was even hot at 9:30AM when I stopped to patch a flat tire (ugh!). At one point near the end, as we were climbing the last hill, I stopped to let the blood
flow back into my shoes. It was so hot that the colors -- the foliage, the road, and the sky -- all seemed to be painted in pastels. There was not a dram of shade to be found anywhere. I waved off the SAG wagon that was sweeping the course for riders too tired to go the last few miles. With the odometer reading 98 miles, I knew that I had come too far to quit now. I poured the last of my water bottle onto my shirt, climbed back on my bike, and pedaled slowly to the finish line.This brings the total states completed to 32. Next weekend I expect to hit Minnesota, and I have Michigan at the end of the month. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with the heat there. After that, I plan to take a break to do a relaxing cruise with my lovely bride. This is one break that I feel like I earned!
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