Day Thirty-four

I promise this is the last picture of corn.

Pit Boss Robb changes tires in a flash. Gloria checks his handiwork and Joy just looks on in awe.

Mr. Lincoln was most gracious with the boys.

This is definitely not the Mariposa CofC! Could it be Darth Vader without the cape and helmet?

Mrs. U.S. Grant is a bit of a flirt.

I believe this is how Jesse Ventura started.

How many times did Lincoln pause on this same landing.

I can't remember who she was supposed to be but she sure makes a nice photo.

If you ever get to Springfield don't miss the old statehouse.

Zippity Do Da

Trust me, we are never gonna run out of corn. EVER!

One hundred and nine miles and at least 100 had corn on one side or (for joy!) both. Many of the endless fields have signs trumpeting some special chemical or bioengineered seed. I was riding as fast as I could because I was beginning to feel like I might go sterile or something just spending that much time near the mutated stuff. In fact my saddle sore seems to have gone away so maybe there’s a new application.

For such a boring day on the road I thought it went pretty fast considering it was a century ride. I rode with lots of different people as I went through the day. I was a bit slow to start so Robb and Lester dusted me and I rode most of the morning by myself occasionally coming across stragglers. I left the first SAG on my own but hooked-up with Shawn and Mike when I felt a sudden burst of energy. We scorched the road to the second SAG and picked-up Cindy along the way. I left the second SAG with Cindy for about 5 miles through the center of Jacksonville and we chased down Adella but after a couple miles on the aerobars she had dropped back to stay with Adella and I was solo and silent again.

The anticipation of visiting Springfield with all the Lincoln memorabilia kept me going. All of a sudden Lester and Kiwi were on the side of the road taking a brief break before the final push. They said Robb had dropped them and I was wondering why he was in such a hurry today. A few miles later we found him changing his tire (flat #2 look out Don!). Just as we were ready to get back on the road Gloria came walking back with a flat so we helped her fix it (actually Lester watched).

Gloria peeled off to the local bike store and we picked-up Joe for the side trip to Lincoln’s tomb and the old state house. If this had been a short road day we would have done a lot more sightseeing because there is a lot to see. We never got into the library, museum, or Lincoln home so Springfield is definitely on the list for a return trip.

Long but manageable day (pretty flat). We’re putting some long days in the saddle with another 97 tomorrow but I’m very excited because after a series of long, high-level negotiations I believe we’ve secured the services of someone who will leave Phil by the side of the road wondering why he feels like an old shaved-leg poser. Platoon Sergeant Craig Bays (USMC) will join us for the 83 mile dash on Sunday to Crawfordsville, IN. I believe Plt. Sgt. Bays is coming directly from his high-altitude training camp. It’s not totally clear to me but he may be the captain of the Marine Corps cycling team. He’ll be joined by a very famous Italian rider but I promised not to reveal her name so you’ll just have to check back after Sunday’s exciting ride for all the details and photos.

Shout out to hanging Judge Randall Newsome who turned sixty today in Oakland, CA today. Sorry we couldn’t join you for the big bash but know that you will conduct yourself better than you did back in our Boston U days! Happy Birthday!

Thanks for reading.

Today’s ratings: (the higher the better or easier)

Scenery: 3

Road conditions: 6

Grunt factor: 5