Today’s Highlights:
Today’s ride was 106 miles long, from Quincy to Springfield. That distance is a challenge regardless of the other elements involved. We had a mix of terrain, from long gradual hills during the first half, and long flat roads into a light headwind during the second half. The morning was warm and a little humid, and the afternoon was hot. Two highlights that stood out for me were crossing the large Illinois River about half way through the ride, and seeing the Illinois State Capital building in Springfield near the end of the ride. Most of the route was on major roads, so although we still cycled through farmlands, it did not have the landscape intimacy of the country roads we enjoyed during the previous few days. It was refreshing to get to the flat lands again and see the farms stretching to the horizon and the big sky fill with high cumulus clouds in the afternoon.
The last several miles took us through the center of the city, and directly in front of the capital, courthouse, post office and other government buildings. It also took us through a less attractive neighborhood with stop lights at every block for three miles. The last seven miles were slow going.
My pace today was average, finishing in about eight hours elapsed time. There were no major hurtles today. It was just a long, tiring ride.
Pictures Of The Day:
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Statistics:
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