Not much rain overnight, but not much sleep, either. Since the plan was to get a relaxed start anyway, there wasn’t any worry. Finally roused from the tent circa 6:30.
Many people do only the weekend part of BVA, so we knew we would say an early goodbye to our next-door neighbor, Mohammad from Baltimore. He’s a dentist originally from Iran, but has lived here for 40 years. This was his first Bike Virginia, and he did the century ride yesterday. We ate our meals with him when we were all in the park at the same time, and enjoyed getting to know him.
Foxy has been having a bit of trouble with his knee so he elected to take a full stop rest day, as opposed to our 25-mile riding rest day. So after breakfast we bade adieu to Mohammad, while he broke camp (not riding today due to an issue with his bike) and told Jim we’d see him in a couple of hours. The day was still cool and darkly overcast when we set out at about 8:30. Some of the birds in the more wooded areas seemed to be having a bit of trouble figuring out if it was dawn or dusk, judging by their songs.
Our 25 mile goal for the day was really just to get the kinks out from the long ride yesterday. It took a mile or two to get my muscles awake and fully functional, but once that was accomplished, it was an ideal ride.
I took one photo along one of those shady, tree-lined, downhill roads I was talking about yesterday. It was simply extraordinary, and I hope it might convey a bit of that “raison d’être” I mentioned yesterday. I was the only one on the road during its half-mile length. No cars, no cyclists, no residents picking up their Sunday papers — totally solo. It was magic (and the gentle downhill along its entire length didn’t hurt a bit).
One rest stop, 13 miles in, was decidedly ordinary, at Centenary Church. A gospel tune or three later and we were gone.
Jack was definitely feeling better than I as he smoked me on average speed and overall time. But I had a very nice ride, including the peppering of rain we got along the final 3 miles. Enough to dampen my glasses and drip off my helmet visor, but not enough to wet the iPhone, sitting right behind the handlebar bag.
Back at camp, we had lunch with Kathy from MD, another weekender who will be back at her job as an engineer tomorrow.
We, on the other hand, will have another night in the tent here at Pocahontas State Park, and then break camp tomorrow, and follow our bags down to just outside of Williamsburg. We then set up the tent again in Chickahominy River Park after a 59-mile trek.
Tomorrow’s ride includes a ferry ride across the James River. It also includes some potentially interesting urban riding going through Petersburg and Hopewell. Once we get across the river, we’ll follow Route 5, some of which has a parallel biking route snaking along it. That part should be really super. I just hope we don’t have to traverse along Rt. 5 — a narrow, winding 2-lane — for very long.
Since this is our final day of access to our cars (until Wednesday), we are going to drive into Richmond for a nice meal out, with air conditioning and (I hope) an absence of mosquitoes.
Thought I’d post my Cyclometer readings for today and yesterday, just for yuks and ha-ha’s.
Finished Cycle: Jun 22, 2014, 11:46:25 AM
Route: BVA Day Three
Ride Time: 2:18:16
Stopped Time: 29:31
Distance: 26.56 miles
Average: 11.53 mph
Fastest Speed: 25.40 mph
Ascent: 1347 feet
Descent: 1351 feet
Calories: 1451
From yesterday:
Finished Cycle: Jun 21, 2014, 2:56:50 PM
Route: BVA Day Two
Ride Time: 5:24:11
Stopped Time: 1:37:48
Distance: 64.32 miles
Average: 11.90 mph
Fastest Speed: 29.55 mph
Ascent: 2810 feet
Descent: 2669 feet
Calories: 3369
peregrinations 