We started off the day in Harrodsburg KY and as much as we tried to be efficient getting on the road, we still only managed to get out by 8:45.
Edgardo, Caralyn and I biked have first 45 miles before lunch together and it was a beautiful ride to start. The road was empty and nicely paved. There were some beautiful farms and some nicely shaded sections.
We were biking along when we ran into the first group stopped on the side of the road. I first thought it was maybe bike problems or maybe someone was injured. Nope. There was a sign that pointed down the opposite road for a Nelson family reunion and they were debating whether or not to pretend to be Nelson’s and get a free lunch. There was another sign for a blueberry patch that they were also excited about but the number didn’t connect and we didn’t know how far down the road it was.
There was also a yard sale close by and Bill spent a significant amount of time trying to convince everyone to buy a gun for $50. I told him as long as it didn’t go on the Spokes card, he could do what he wanted, but I don’t think he went through with it.
The first team headed off again and soon we were back on the road. Right before we reached our lunch spot though, we got onto a rather busy road. We stayed close to the shoulder but some drivers weren’t too happy about the slow down (fun fact: I’m pretty slow uphills).
We soon got to our lunch place and met up with the rest of the team where we had lovely, sophisticated conversations such as the ranking of going to the bathroom in nature among other equally advanced topics.
After lunch we switched groups so Bill, Erin, Maile and I headed out first. The road was still rather busy but it was manageable. We were hoping for less elevation but boy is Kentucky hilly and rather windy. Drafting behind someone else was really nice but leading felt like you were doing three times the work.
At lunch we checked the elevation map from google and it looked something like this:
So we thought we really wouldn’t hit many hills until THE HILL. But it turns out all those little blips? Not nonsignificant. In fact some were pretty significant. Thanks google. Definitely went up some hills thinking it was THE HILL and it turned out to be just a blip.
We made it to the top of THE HILL and took a short break. We were discussing the pattern of grease on our legs from the gears and when I twisted to get a better look, I lost balance and fell over. Just like that. Not biking or anything just standing up, talking and then suddenly I’m on the ground. That was my first fall this trip and it hopefully it’ll be my only one.
After biking some more, we finally made it to our hosts, Keith and Megan, in Cecilia KY. For reference, three days before this we didn’t have a place to stay. I emailed something like 30 churches in Elizabethtown KY (a larger town just east of Cecilia) and only one got back to me. Keith is an elder at one of the churches I emailed and he said that while the logistics for the church was a bit short notice, we could stay in the barn at his house in Cecilia.
If a complete stranger emailed you three days beforehand and asked you to host 8 college aged students doing a bike trip across America, would you say yes?
Keith and Megan said that our website gave us legitimacy and Megan said she’s spontaneous, so they had no problem saying yes. But Keith said he was a little confused about why 8 people studying at a university known for intelligent students were emailing out for a host three days beforehand. (.....Sorry)
Keith and Megan were absolutely wonderful. I’m continuously shocked about how kind and generous people are. After dinner and dessert (I don’t even want to think about how many slices of cake I had), we chatted with our hosts for a while before heading off to bed.
All and all, a good (but incredibly long) day. So how do you bike 78 miles in one day? According to Bill, you just move your feet in circles and you eventually get there. But I think having a Maile to lift your spirits with encouraging words, having an Erin to provide some quality music, having a Bill to draft behind, and having wonderful hosts at the end of the day of it helps a lot.
-Leah Yost
