Today the team rode 59.4 miles from Ashtabula to Cleveland, Ohio. Today was another toasty day with lots of hills and climbing. The team agreed that the hills in Ohio rivaled the hills we saw in upstate New York. The day was very good, although it was hot we got to get free pancakes for our first rest stop! There was a memorial day breakfast at a fire station in a town we were riding through. They saw us and graciously invited us to eat. They were so kind and generous and provided delicious pancakes. It was definitely an unexpected and great surprise on such a tough day! We also got to meet a few alumni of The University of Illinois alumni club, they came to meet us and gave us much needed ice to keep the water in the coolers cold. It was so nice of them to make the drive to see us! The rest of the day consisted of very long and hard hills. Everyone was winded and sweaty when they arrived at the lunch stop. The lunch stop was able to revive everyone just enough to push through the last 10 miles of giant hills. The lunch stop was also at a fruit farm so some people got creative with their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Later on, a large group went to a baseball game ( White sox vs. Cleveland Indians) and explored downtown Cleveland.
I would like to thank Grace Lutheran Church for hosting the team tonight. Also a special shoutout to Matthew and Hitarth for being such great bike mechanics for the team. They are always being called to fix different things on people’s bikes at various points throughout the day. They are always quick to fix problems and are happy to help when needed.
Tomorrow is our first official rest day! This has been a long time coming for the team and we cannot wait to explore Cleveland and spend some time relaxing!
~Tailwinds~
Mandy
Flat Count: 2
Song of the day: Call me Al