77 miles, 2359 feet climbed
Today we crossed the Mississippi River. No photos today because one of the two bridges spanning the river, which would normally handle our eastbound traffic was closed for construction. We rode on the other span, which put us off of our route. Further complicating things was a traffic accident in the middle of the span, starting to clear when I arrived. Just as I was pulling my camera from my jersey pocket, the police let us ride through, ahead of the backed up traffic heading our way. By the time we rejoined our route, we were several blocks from the river.
It may be that the rolling hills of the last few days will continue for most of the rest of the tour. Today’s were somewhat gentler, with some flat areas and, of course, the Mississippi floodplain.
We started an hour later than normal because this morning’s hotel breakfast didn’t begin until 7 am. Thus the start times were pushed to 8:15 (early group) and 8:30 (others). I was planning to ride an easy day, not standing to climb the hills and just pushing at a comfortable pace. Going out with the early group would help with that plan. At our one SAG (yes, for 77 miles, though Paula did create an impromptu water stop near the end), Paula did have a sign indicating that we’ve ridden 2000 miles. By my calculations, those who rode every available mile are still about 60 miles short; by skipping a day and a half, I’m even shorter of that milestone.
