75 miles, 2457 feet climbed
Today we dispensed with the rain of the last few days, though I left my jacket in my seat bag just in case. The day was spent near and sometimes along the Erie Canal, as well as the railroad line that made it obsolete, affecting the small towns along the canal in not so good ways. I could also hear the trains running fairly frequently last night; out hotel was just across the highway and my room faced in that direction.
There was more climbing today, a warm up for tomorrow. Even the bike path along the canal had a steep section. Luckily staff had warned us and we actually remembered to gear down right before the right turn that led into it. Kees (pronounced “Case”) and I saw 11 and 14 percent grades on our computers for brief moments.
Today I worked out the bug that prevented me from loading the route on my computer yesterday and was free to ride at my own pace. I nonetheless spent most of the second half riding with Case, Will, and Scott.
For some unknown reason, our hotel insists that we store our bikes in a conference room rather than in our rooms as every other hotel has allowed. It is less convenient for things like removing and charging our bike computers and lights and cleaning and refreshing water bottles. Hopefully ABB will take this into account in selecting next year’s hotel. My room, on the other hand, is very nice and spacious, with plenty of room for my bike were it permitted to be there.
