Hi All

Lots of excuses for not posting any info on the ride:
     -Poor Internet connections at our hotels
     -Writers block (due to the incredibly high bar I have set in previous postings)
     -Laziness
     -Exhaustion
The days are a blending in,  half the time I can't remember what town I'm in,  remember my room number, or find my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

We had our rest day Saturday in Springfield Ill, and it was a nice break in the routine.  I had a massage in the morning (always dicey googling massage parlors in strange towns), but this was a legit operation.
Got to admit I was a bit disappointed when the masseuse was a 65 yr old 250 lb ex marine, but he was able to work the kinks out of the old legs.  Then we spent the afternoon at the Abraham Lincoln museum which is worth a trip.



Day 22 - Springfield Ill - Tuscola Ill (77 miles)

Nice day,  but had a heckuva time remembering where we were going.  Got an early start Sunday morning, no traffic,  great roads.  It was a quick ride,  ending in Tuscola.  We ate at an Amish Buffet, where I got the waitress to admit the whole Amish thing was a complete scam,  the Amish aren't involved at all.  The Amish really have got to do a better job protecting their trademark.


Day whatever- Tuscola Ill- anonymous town in Indiana (122 miles)

Todays ride got off to a shaky start.  There was a major disaster at breakfast when the 5 in 1 combo fax-printer-scanner-copier -pancake machine failed at breakfast.  Everyone scoured the breakfast buffet for their carbs.

5 in 1 Fax-Printer-Scanner-Copier-Pancake Maker

Luckily, diaster was averted:

Even though I can't remember the name of the town in Indiana,  it was a great ride.  Once again the staff has done a great job picking the route, our time on busy highways was minimal.  We are passing through lots of small towns, some looking more prosperous than others, but all quite interesting in their own ways.

As usual, we all agreed that we were going to take it easy for the day, but also as usual Dave and Floris started picking it up after the lunch stop.  Before I know it we have our rotating paceline going and I am pulling a consistent 190-200 watts  for the last 40 miles of a 120 mile ride.  Thanks to a quartering tailwind we were able to average 21.2 mph for the day.


Day 24 Lebanon IN - Richmond IN (107 miles)

Great weather today, it's finally beginning to warm up. For a change no gloves and knee warmers were needed at the start.  The terrain was very similar to Monday;  gently rolling terrain and meticulously maintained farms.  We also passed through some of the outer suburbs on Indianapolis, good size houses  with huge lawns.

We hit it pretty hard again, and ended up with an average speed of 22.3 mph.

Thanks to his ninja-like bike handling skills Roger was able to take this picture from his bike:

3 of the 4 Horsemen@24 MPH , 2 riders smiling, one not

Day 25 Richmond IN - Marysville OH

Another day another state.  We passed into Ohio today, our second state in the Eastern time zone.   At the risk of being boring and repetitive,  it was another gorgeous day.  We had perfect conditions,  and little traffic.  There were some great stretches where we had the whole road to ourselves, and a nice wind.   At the 40 mile point we hit a "Road Closed - Local Traffic Only" sign.  Dave, in his infinite wisdom, surmised that by allowing local traffic, the road would be passable for bikes.

This is the last time I listen to Dave.   We were able to regain our momentum and averaged 22.3 mph for 105 miles.


Thanks for reading,


Tom


Springfield Ill - Tuscola Ill
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/311800797

Tuscola Ill- Lebanon IN
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/312461556

Lebanon IN - Richmond IN
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/312904783

Richmond IN- Marysville OH
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/313199090