Miles 2751 to 2826, 75 miles, 1050 feet of climb, max speed 31 mph, avg speed 16 mph, great weather, good roads.
 |
| US 40 Crossing Indiana |
Today was our last ‘easy day’ and Al and I enjoyed leisurely racing into Richmond. Not only were the roads in great shape, fairly level, litter free, but we also had a tail wind. Once we broke free of the urban areas of Indianapolis we were able to keep about at 20-22 mph pace for almost 50 miles. Several times Al reminded me to slow down noting that tomorrow and the day after are over 100 miles each. Each town seemed to have a reason to celebrate being on the Historic National Highway, and antique stores were everywhere. Our riding pace was nothing compared to a Dutch friends. This afternoon the Netherlands was scheduled to play Argentina in the semifinals of the soccer World Cup. We delayed dinner to accommodate the end of the match, but sadly our Dutch friends will not have a team in the finals liked we had all hoped. I don’t pretend to understand soccer, but I do know that when in doubt cheer for the ones in orange uniforms.
The interesting moment today was at the Indy hotel. Most of the rooms there (and other hotels in town) were filled with international delegates to the annual meeting of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. This morning I was able to sit down and talk to six or seven ‘bus captains’ that were waiting for their cargo of witnesses to finish breakfast. These bus captains were all from the same town north of Indy and were acting as convention hosts. Fortunately we never got around to talking about anything other than current adventures, theirs the delight of people from all over the world. The most interesting guy I talked to today was the grandson of Emil Schram, the President of the New York Stock Exchange during World War II. Tom, the son of an Indiana farmer north of Richmond, had fascinating stories from his family’s history. They reminded me how important networking is in politics. I should have asked more questions about him, and not his grandfather. His grandfather was later the head of the USO, which puts the guy in a good light to anybody who has ever worn the uniform. Those moments were great, but the guy I liked the best today was the cigar chewing volunteer fire department chief in the small town of Dunreith. He had opened the fire station to us as a SAG stop. Behind the firestation was an old Ford tractor that attracted the farmer vocation rooted deep in the persona of some of Dutch riders.
 |
| Dutch Speaking Bentley Driver |
The gem of the day was at a gas station in Centerville (center of what, I don’t know; certainly not Indiana). A guy pulls up in an vintage Bentley, complete with steering wheel on the right and the European license plates. I asked him if I could take his picture (right) and he answered in Dutch. Well… Game On! Our Dutch riders were there and Hans took some time to talk to him. I didn’t know what was said, but I sure did enjoy it. It reminded me of home where all sorts of languages are spoken, and all of them swirling around my ears too fast for me to understand.
Earlier today some of our riders (all Type A personalities) challenged each other to a basketball game of 21 at the same gym where the movie “Hoosiers” was filmed in Knightstown. Bragging rights were secured, and then the ride was continued. I have yet to discover my first Type B personality on this tour. The only sizes found here are A, AA, AAA, and ‘Oh my God’.
Bottom Line: It was fun getting to know our four new riders. I wish they were in as good of shape as me. No, they are real riders and not a tourist among them. I remain the 2014 Challenge’s finalist.
No comments:
Post a Comment