Rusty Crank Coast to Coast Bicycle Tour across the USA on the ACA TransAM Route

TransAm Day #4 May 29, 2018 Charlottesville, VA -  Love, VA 49 Miles Ride Time 4:50 Hours Tour Total 261 Miles details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180529-0637-79403 I have been worried about this day for five months. Today I climbed Afton mountain, which most cyclists say is the most difficult climb heading west on the TransAm. Granted, the Rockies have higher elevations- but the grades are much more gentle. The only comparison I could make to today is Monte Grappa and the Alpini in Northern Italy where I toured in 2008. Today was tough. Serious climbing began 10 miles out of Charlottesville. Steve G had me worried about poison ivy along side the road and I was a little paranoid about it. Approaching White Hall I could start to see the mountains. The big ones were lurking behind the rising fog. It never rained last night and the humidity was near 100%. My jersey was soaked. The locals refer to this as air you can wear. My first stop was Wyant’s S...

TransAm Day #5 May 30, 2018 Love, VA - Buchanan, VA 70 Miles Ride Time 5:16 Hours Tour Total 327 Miles details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180530-0855-03634 I regret to write that the #R2S team has come to an impasse. Because of a stomach virus, Steve H is staying behind in Love. Steve G and I are pushing forward without him. There was heavy rain all night long. I finally had a good night’s sleep, probably because of the hot tub soak. I slept right through a bear trying to force it’s way into our cabin, which awoke both Steves. The bear was probably after Steve H’s two turkey sandwiches tucked away in the fridge. Steve H had left his bear spray on his bike out on the front porch. I slept through all the commotion. There was a deluge at 5am reveille, so our 6am departure was pushed back to 8. The three of us shared stories around the breakfast table before #TeamRS headed off. Steve H gave Steve G a Kevlar spoke in case of more rim problems. I’m pickin...