Looking For A Shoulder To Ride On

My morning began about as well as last night ended. Well, that’s not entirely true as I had to wake up extra early so I could finish writing yesterday’s update – last night’s late evening with Ron, Debbie, and Eneko didn’t leave much time for writing. Technically there was time. But exhaustion won out.

Once the update was finished, my morning began about as well as last night ended. Ron had prepared a great breakfast of eggs, bacon, and diced fried potatoes. Waking up to the smell of bacon and eggs is never a bad thing.

As usual, I planned on being on the road between 8:30 and 9:00. And as usual, that plan didn’t work out. Much like last night, there was a lot of great conversation this morning and the next thing I knew 9:00 had come and gone. Mixed in with the conversations about cycling routes, trips, and accommodations, Ron took the opportunity to put both Eneko and I to work. I say “put us to work” but in reality we were both happy to help. A new washing machine had arrived yesterday evening so Ron, Eneko, and I moved out the old machine and brought in the new one. All things considered, the move went smoothly. And it’s only now that I realized I should’ve taken a photo. Sigh.

With the washing machine installed, it was time to turn my attention to today’s ride. The new departure goal was 11:00. And the destination was to be Hardeeville, SC. I was considering riding all the way to Savannah, GA today but with the late start I decided to stick with my usual 100 km day. In reality, Hardeeville was only 90 km away.

I said my goodbyes (and thanks) to Ron and Eneko and was in fact back on the road shortly before 11:00. As I mentioned, today’s ride was only 90 km and after the first hour I had my suspicions that it was going to be an easy day. For the first time in a long time I felt something coming up from behind me – and this time it wasn’t a dump truck. It was the wind. I had almost forgotten what it was like to ride with a tailwind. It’s nice. Really nice. So very really nice. So very really … well, you get the idea.

In terms of strength, it wasn’t the biggest tailwind I’ve ever had but I was quite happy to have the wind blowing in my favour. The upside to the tailwind is obvious. The downside is that it doesn’t provide much exciting blog content – the ride was generally uneventful. The biggest issue of the day was the size of the shoulders along Highway 17. For the most part, there weren’t any. And when there were, they were lined with rumble strips. Good times. Fortunately, there was very little traffic for most of the ride. Even the logging trucks, which Ron had warned both Eneko and I about, didn’t present any problems.

The worst part of the ride was probably a 10 km stretch as I neared Hardeeville where there seemed to be an excessive number of sizeable cracks in the road. Cracks that probably aren’t even noticeable in a car. Maybe barely noticeably on a mountain bike or even unloaded road bike. But, on my road bike weighing in at about 100 lbs (plus rider), the cracks were very frustrating. They seemed to go on forever but eventually they gave way to a smooth road for the final 6 km. Better late than never.

Despite today’s relatively easy ride, I find myself having one of those days where I can’t stop eating. Since arriving in Hardeeville, I’ve had a large chocolate Frosty from Wendy’s and a large Whopper combo plus ten chicken nuggets from Burger King. I just ate a Snicker’s bar and am about to finish off a bag of “Ultimately Bold Snack Mix”. And I’m on my fourth very large glass of water. I’m currently trying to resist opening a package of beef jerky. Mmmmmm. Beef jerky.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 93.51 km
Time on bike: 3:51:21
Maximum speed: 37.30 km/h
Average speed: 24.23 km/h

There is one issue that I suspect I’ll have to deal with eventually. The wet ride from Greenville, NC to New Bern, NC seems to have had a not-so-positive effect on my cycling computer. The computer itself still functions but the button to toggle between the four statistics shown above has become more than a little temperamental. I don’t see the situation improving over time.