March 19, Wednesday: life on the road

No pain, no gain. We rode 48 hard miles today on the eighth day in a row of riding. Am I ever ready for a rest!

Here's a little bit about life on the road. We are staying in namebrand hotels for the most part, for example, a comfort inn tonight.  In the morning we have the hotel breakfast, pack up our stuff and then go over to the van and trailer for "snack table" after tossing our luggage into the trailer. The fast riders roll out about 7:30 with the rest of us following. The group naturally spreads out over several miles according to the pace at which each individual wants to ride. Some people pair up, some ride in a group, some ride by themselves and it varies day by day.  A few people will take a "boost" and ride in the van for the first 20 miles, then hop on their bikes for the rest of the day's journey.  For the most part we are on well-traveled highways. We ride the shoulders when it is possible, otherwise we are out there with the traffic.  The SAG vehicle meets us about every 20 miles for replenishment of water and snacks. The SAG driver also make sure that everyone is accounted for at each stop and when we arrive at our hotel for the evening.  Every rider has the cell phone number of the SAG driver, the guide and the chef.  There is no "sweep" rider who follows the very last guest along the route.  Meanwhile the van and trailer go ahead to the next night's town and shop for groceries for dinner.  We all arrive early to midafternoon, check into the hotel, clean up, have a beer, and then have dinner about 6 PM after which there is the "map meeting" to review the next day's route.  Nearly all of the group rides every day.  We are a strong and determined bunch.