Day 41 August 9 Fennimore to Madison Sea to Sea 08
Today’s stats
Distance 73.48 miles
Time in saddle 5.20
Ascent 2596
Average speed 13.7 miles per hour
When we woke up at 445 this morning it was raining. As it was going to be a shorter day, Hank and I just laid in the tent for a while longer hoping the rain would stop. By 515 it was still raining, we knew we better get up and face the day and get our packing done with as quickly as possible. We got sleeping bags; therma rest and clothes all packed leaving only the tent to take down. We decided we would go to breakfast and make our lunches before taking the tent down. This happened to be a good decision as it stopped raining by 630 at which point we quickly finished packing everything up and got out on the road by 7 AM.
Hank rode with Bill and Mary and had a good ride. He got to the staging area for our group ride into the church by 215. I arrived there at 115.
The morning was fresh from the rain. It was a little cool, but still comfortable. I wore arm warmers and my jacket as the sky looked like it could rain again. Apparently at 730 there was another down pour at camp, but we did not get it on the rode.
At the first SAG stop, I noticed my back tire was a little low so I pumped it up thinking this would be OK. Ten miles down the road; at a coffee stop in Dodgeville I noticed it was low again. I decided I did not want to be stuck on the side of the road, so I put a new tube in. Andy Devries and Louis Bouma helped me change it.
The terrain was much more varied today and the roads were in much better condition. We had lots of hills, a few steeper than others, but nothing that we could not handle after riding through the mountains. It turned out to be a really great ride for everyone, as there were lots of places to stop for coffee and food. Most people took their time as we were supposed to arrive at a staging area at 230, which was only a mile from church. Since the ride was only 72 miles, people took advantage of the time and took time to visit and see different things along the way.
Enjoying a cup of coffee with Larry, Mark and Sylvan in Mt HorebIt felt good not to be rushed or pressured because of too long a distance. Biking 90 miles or more does take a good part of the day. If I want to have some time to myself in camp before supper, I feel the pressure to push on to get into camp between 3-4.
AT 230 we all rode as a large group to Crossroads Community Church on the southeast side of Madison. We were welcomed by a band and lots of clapping and shout of welcome by the members the church. It was a great welcome and many people felt overwhelmed by the outpouring from the church. They had drinks and food for us. They also had introduction packets for all of us telling us what was available for the weekend. They had arranged haircuts, body and foot massages, and shower and laundry shuttles. The team here has really gone out of the way to welcome and thank the cyclists. It is really appreciated.
When I was riding the last 200 feet into camp, someone noticed I had a flat tire. This is now my third flat for the tour. As we were getting ready to go to the bike shop, Hanks tire blew while he was holding it. It is his fourth flat. Hank wanted to get his bike wheels looked after as soon as possible. We took both of his wheels and my rear wheel, which had the slow leak but was now, flat to the bike shop. They found lots of tiny pieces of glass and metal filings that caused the flats in both our tires. We have been checking them regularly, but now need to be much more diligent every night to check our tires for any glass, staples etc, as we will be riding on shoulders in much heavier traffic areas. I expect our flat counts will probably be going up from here on in. It cost us $191 for new bike rim, fix three tires and a new rear light, as I had lost mind and a new bag for under my saddle as the one I have is worn out.
Madison is a big city of over 200,000 people. Mark Lenters a recent transplant from Hamilton Ontario took us for a tour through the city while our clothes were getting washed in the washing machine. It has a very diversified industrial base. Mark is involved in designing “round abouts” which a minnie traffic circles for cities. Madison has lots of these. Mark commented on how well the roads are laid out in Madison. The capital building is the focal point and roads radiate out from there. From the capital building one can see all three lakes. It is a very impressive building. There are three lakes that the city seems to be built around that provide great recreational opportunities. The city has capitalized on the waterfronts and constructed lots of bike paths around the lakes. University of Wisconsin plays a significant role in the city as well. TREK as large bike manufacturer plays a big role in the city and there are lots of bike trails throughout the city. We did bike on a section of trials between Dodgeville and Barneveld.
Once we got into camp yesterday it was very busy just trying to get our bikes looked after, take showers, have supper and do laundry. By the time I got everything done it was 930 and I was ready for bed. Hank had stayed back at camp and waited for the gear truck to be completed cleaned out so we could put our laundry baskets back in before we went to bed. We were both really ready to hit the sack by 10PM. It has been a long, busy day, but a very good one.
We are now at the end of week 6 and feel really good that the two longest weeks are behind us, we did the rides and are now looking forward to having more leisurely, enjoyable rides that will allow us to take more time to see things and visit different places. We are looking forward to having a day off and completely relaxing from the busyness of biking. We hope we do not have to get on our bikes today.
Bloggaholics in the communications room at the churchIt is early Sunday morning 530 and I could not sleep in so I decided I would catch up with email and blogging. Too bad I cannot sleep in. I am still too driven I think,.
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