Today was a great day to be riding he the foothills of North Carolina. We left out of Elkin this morning at 7:30 am in low 40 degree weather. The campers were still breaking down their tents but riders were trickling out. I was layered u like never before and thankfully so.
The route traveled thru several historic North Carolina destinations which included Pilot Mountain, Hanging Rock State Park, Danville, Stoneville, and Eden. Unfortunately the big dogs were out in full force today. A Pitbull nearly got my leg. A Yellow lab chased me for a good 200 yards, and a rottweiler managed to get several riders. Stupid Dog owners to say the least.
Hopefully this was one of the harder rides of the week. I put a hurting on myself climbing all the hills with a rear 23 SRAM RED cassette. Not to bright on my part. The scenery was a good thing to focus on in effort to ignore the pain.
I met fellow cyclist from several states today. Many of which were senior riders. A huge congratulations to each for completing the ride. Some absolutely amaze me, like the 72 year old fellow who rode a 42 pound bike the whole way. Yeh, I know it was 42 pounds because I strained my back when I loaded onto the shuttle bus for him.
Overall, it was a great ride. If the rest of the week goes as well, It’s gonna be a great cycling time for sure.
Check back tomorrow for a day # 2 post.
Finney