Well, yesterday every one's four favorite cyclists crossed over the border into Virginia thus making true our blog url. West Virginia really made us earn the right to get home, we all agreed that yesterday was the most technically challenging day of riding for the entire trip.
We set out from Elkins, WV with the hope of making it just 60 miles to Monterey, VA. Fortunately, on the way out of Elkins we saw a topographical map of our proposed route, so there were no surprises. We were warmed up by about 20 miles of rolling hills then the tough stuff began. First, 4 miles at 9%, then a 4 miles at 8% , then a pair of 2 mile 8% ascents. For those of you who aren't familiar with the percent grade system, 1% = roughly 52 vertical feet per mile. So on that first climb, we ascended roughly 1800 vertical feet in 4 miles, by far the longest steep climb of the trip (Logan's pass was 12 miles at 6%, a comparably easy ascent). Lucky for us, the rest of the trip is through towns where we have an abundance of places to stay. No more camping for us!
So in high spirits we are headed to Staunton today, just 45 miles east of Monterey and with only 2 significant climbs. I can't properly convey how excited we all are to finally be back in Virginia and to be so close to completing what has really been the trip of a lifetime. From Staunton to Charlottesville, from Charlottesville to Fred Vegas. We can't wait to see you all.
SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS
Tall Man Out.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
congrats on making it back to the home state guys. i hope your trip was a memorable one. sorry wisconsin didn't do it for you - i guess that's why i moved to seattle.
my dad and i are only a handfull of days from the finish line as well. we're less than 450 miles now to eastport, maine, and i cannot wait.
catch you all in the real world
mike
www.mike-helminger.blogspot.com
Post a Comment