Day 46--Another Mechanical SAG Day

Albany, NY to Brattleboro, VT
Miles: 60.1 part of 76.0
Time: 4:39
Average: 12.9 mph
Max: 34.1
Est. Calories: 4,681
Ascent: 4,532

I made it most of the day, but was just too concerned for the "ol' knees" to continue. I just didn't want to get into more hills and have to climb in the "big ring". I had been fighting the gears as soon as we started climbing today. I could feather the gears on the flats to get into and keep in the right gear, but the hills were getting to be just too big of a challenge to keep the gears in the right place. As I have mentioned in earlier posts: in two weeks from the end of the XC ride, I will be riding a 500 mile, 7 day ride for Anchor House Ride for Runaways Charity that I have ridden for 13 years, and this obviously will be my 14 year. I really didn't want anything to happen so close to the end of this ride that would compromise my ability to ride the Anchor House Ride.

I rode with Sue and Champ most of the day. We were doing fine, until I wimped out at the last SAG stop. There was less than 20 miles to go, but I just didn't have it in me to fight both the hills, and the rain that was threatening. Hank, Chris, and Nancy had already retired during the day, or did not ride for various reasons.

I obviously put poor Rick to work on the gears again that night, and as in the past, everything worked fine that evening.

Dinner was on your own that night. I wasn't big on walking too far, or being out too late, as there was strong storms coming in, and I was tired. I walked down to a supermarket down the hill, and got a whole bunch of food and drink. I brought it all back to the hotel room, and just "grazed" through the evening and watched TV. And, despite what I said a couple of day's ago, I did one more load of laundry this evening just to have more clean clothes then dirty ones. I was looking forward to the last full day of riding tomorrow, and doing my usual praying for no rain. See ya.........