Today’s Highlights:
Our 91-mile ride from Mechanicsville to Emporia was generally flat and on country roads with good surfaces. I was able to average over 16 mph today and finish in under seven hours. The challenge was the heat. It was in the 70s when we started, but also very humid. Two hours later it was in the 80s, and after three hours it was between 90 and 100. So the last half of the ride was extremely hot, and a challenge for us all. Some of the cyclist who were riding slower wisely got in the van after 60 miles and shuttled to the hotel.
At mile 14, we reached the halfway point of our route from Maine and Florida. Kathi marked the road, and we all stopped there for pictures. Our route also led us through several Civil War battlefields, commemorated with plaques. I would have like to stop at each one and learn about the history, but I was too focused on getting the miles done quickly to get out of the heat. All of our route was through rural farms and forest. We passed over the James River on the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge. The size of the river was quite impressive.
For about 1/3 of today’s ride, I joined a small group of riders. Otherwise, I pushed on by myself.
Pictures Of The Day:
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Statistics:
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