Carol:
After a conversation-filled breakfast with Dani and Nick, Colin and I headed towards Williamstown. Not having been back to campus since graduation, I started to make list of all the things I wanted to do, including a trip to Lickety Split and the new library. However, my enthusiasm was unwise as it made the later delays that much more difficult to bare.
My chain became tangled as I climbed up a particularly steep hill outside of Troy. Attempting to place it back on the gears only lodged the chain between the cassette and hub flange. While Colin was able to remove the chain entirely, the maintenence had disturbed my spoke tension. My back wheel was out of true and rubbing against the frame, making the bike unrideable. Colin took a cab to the nearest bike shop and returned with a new wheel for me.
A local had told us that there was a mountain pass in Petersburg. Having climbed a fair amount on Route 2 going into Petersburg, I thought the worst over. However, we were soon climbing again after Petersburg to get through the Berkshires. Given the lack of water and the heat, my climbing was not in top form. After 5 years, I had forgotten how hilly Route 2 was.
Fortunately, we were treated to many miles of 10% grade downhills on the otherside of the pass. Once in Williamstown, our first stop was for Purple Cow icecream. After, we made our way to my professor's home and enjoyed the company of his family over BBQ and icecream sundaes. It has been a really nice homecoming.
42 miles
3407 miles total
No comments:
Post a Comment