Day 43: Berea, KY to Buckhorn, KY; 67mi; 2681mi
Today was probably the toughest 67 mile ride that I have done. I’m not sure if we’re officially in the Appalachians yet, but it sure felt like the hills were longer today. When I got off the bike today, I felt as tired as I have been since Arizona. Fighting cramps, I had to get help stretching.
I jumped to the end first because that can help explain what it was like for our guest. This morning Mrs. Lunceford, who hosted us last night, decided that she would come ride the first leg of the ride with us. I wish we would have taken a look at the elevation profile, because the first fifteen miles today were the toughest we’ve had in a couple of weeks. We knew we were in trouble when we passed a town only five miles in called Big Hill, KY. Yes, the name fit. The next three miles were a Colorado-esque climb that put a hurting on my hamstrings. I rode ahead, but three of the riders rode with Mrs. Lunceford. They said that although she took a couple breaks, she grinded it out like a champ. That reminded me of myself on our first big climb in Arizona, where I finished the eight miles about twenty minutes behind Justin. I’m glad that Mrs. Lunceford was excited enough about our cause to come ride, though. It’s a good thing that she was there this morning to hear Wade dedicate the day to the granddad of his girlfriend. I believe she felt the motivation of our cause and it helped her finish.
The rest of the ride was not as tough but it did get hot and we ended the day with two substantial climbs. As we rode through Daniel Boone National Forest I kept a lookout for bears. We finally finished in Buckhorn at almost 6pm (yes, we woke up late and took a long lunch again). I got off the bike to cheers, a shower, and a fantastic spaghetti dinner served up by the Haga family. A good ending to a good day, and I’ll sleep thinking about crossing into Virginia in just a day and a half.
-Cameron
