Day 86: October 6th, 2010 (Route: Booneville, KY to Danville, KY)

Day 86: October 6th, 2010 (Route: Booneville, KY to Danville, KY)

Technical Data:

Distance, miles: 96.13
Ride Time 7:26:18
Work, kJ: 4639
Average Power, watts: 171
Normalized Power, watts: 201
Average Speed, mph: 12.74

Forecast: Sunny and windy...(Temps in the 70's and wind out of the W/NW at 10-15 mph

Last night was cold! I slept out on the deck of the little hostel that has been built behind the church in Booneville, KY as I did the night before in Whitesburg. I figured I would be warm enough, however the wind got to me during the wee hours of the morning and I woke, however I did manage to get some quality sleep last night, I actually think I slept 4-5 hours straight before waking which is great considering I haven't been sleeping well. When I woke I was cold, not sure if this is what woke me or something stirring about? The fog had settled in and was so think I couldn't see the church which was right next to me. Once I saw this I thought, I'm going to sleep in and wait for the sun to burn off the fog. The forecast for today is supposed to nice and sunny so no need to ride in the cold!

Talking with Kirk last night about my ETA to Louisville I told him odds are it would be Thursday. This is a little off the route, however with six days logged in at 85+ miles I'm due some rest, with one more day to go which I'm sure will be 70+ I'm looking forward to 1-3 days off the bike and let the legs rest up before the last charge to the finish line! I'm getting excited about getting back and plugging myself into society. Scarey as it may sound I'm actually looking foward to it. I hope I can find employment quickly and get all my ducks in a row for school in the spring, I've decided that I'm going to to pursue a PhD with hopes of teaching someday at the university level, where I will continually be challenged and hopefully have a few summers off to explore, travel, and potentially do some more bike touring! As the universal constant is always present, we will just see how things turn out!

After capturing as many minutes possible of sleep, I decide its time to get up so I do and its pretty chilly so I'm going to wait a little more before pushing on westward. After waiting a while and grabbing a hot chocolate to warm the insides a bit I decide its time to push on, out of the foothills of the Appalachians I will travel into the BlueGrass of central Kentucky. I'm looking forward to today as after today I should be close to 700-800 miles from my final destination and this is pretty cool. I'm so close to completing what I started and all in one piece. The leg has calmed and I'm hoping it will hold for the remaining, however you never truely know out here on the road whats going to get thrown your way!

Rolling out of the church I hit more climbing and I'm really not enjoying it to be honest, the mind is but the legs, well not so much! With five days in and two more to go before I hit up the Louisville Slugger museum the legs are screaming its time for some couch time and some movies! What are you doing to us? I'm sure those passing me are wondering what's that fool doing talking to himself, however I didn't care, this morning I was in need of some motivation and talking myself into riding was much needed this morning! Telling myself just two more days to go, huge reward of an ice bath, a warm epsom salt bath, and some rest is just around the corner. The mind was all over the place today, thinking about the boys in the tour that were racing when I started and the fact that they get rest, proper nutrition, massages, and pampered when there riding, I'm thinking that must be nice! I could use that right about now, then the thought popped into my head that they should race with trailers! (Now that would be something!)

The ride today was just like all the others, little climbing here and a little more climbing there! Then it started to flatten out and roll which I liked, then I noticed the head wind and thought, I'll take the hills and long climbs back please. The deal with wind is it never stops, at least when your climbing even the longest of climbs it has an ending, the wind however not so much. The wind was blowing today out of the west at 10-15 mph and it was more like 15 the entire day so I knew I wasn't going to make my destination by the time I wanted as this would slow me for sure!

The dogs of Kentucky did show themselves, the word in the touring community is that the dogs are wild in Kentucky and love cyclist. I think they are like the crazy fans that cheer on the riders in the Tour de France. Thinking about it, all they do is run next to you, barking, in this case cheering me on! Only there wearing fur coats, with no capes or devil costumes, or even naked for that matter. Just running along side barking. Its the silent ones you have to watch out for, the ones that sneak upside and attack at the last minute, though this is rare they do exist! Overall the dog count the last 6 days was close to 40, from small dogs to large ones all just happy to be off a chain. If I were to count the dogs chained up or in kennels along this trip it would be in the hundreds I'm for certain, so many dog lovers in Kentucky! Made me think about my little Jack, in a couple of weeks him and I will be hitting up the dog park for sure!

Rolling along, I notice I need to true my back wheel, this is a first and I'm sure its from riding on the shoulder a couple of days ago, the rumble strips and the debris probably knocked it out, I'll have to wait till Louisville to do this as when passing through the towns today they were all closed as I rode into dusk since I got a late start. I didn't mind getting a late start today though, it was sunny and nice, though the wind made it a little chilly the first half of the day.

I wish something excited would have happened today, however it was a pretty basic day out here on the road. The leg is on the mend and I'm enjoying getting back to normal, I have noticed that I have put on a lot of muscle in the quads and buttocks which is nice. Looking forward to the rest and growth that goes along with it. (As Kirk puts it, tear and repair!) Once I'm back I have so much on my plate, get the nutrition dialed back in, find employment, finish my applications for school, enroll for the spring semester, reconnect with family and friends, reconnect with my pup, and so many more loose ends to tie up! I'm looking forward to it thought, I'm finally getting my motivation and drive back from all the stress thats been thrown at me the last couple of years. I know that many might think, your telling me the motivation/drive has been missing? Yes to be honest I'm a little more motivated and driven then the next guy, seeming to have an endless supply of energy, not sure where all this spawns from, however I got it and I love it! Wonder what I would be like if I actually drank caffeine? I haven't had a soda since high school and its rare I ingest caffeine, true I give up an edge on race day however thats okay with me, I like to try and do things the natural way. Though on occasion I have had some gu or caffeine on this trip to wake me up and give me that extra edge say on day 7 of a 7 day block of training. When I'm rested though, watch out!

Trying to make it to Harrodsburg, KY I failed this evening and shut it down in Danville, KY a few miles south, 9 to be exact. I didn't want to take the risk of riding into the dark, and it just so happens I'm sleeping on a stage again! Danville, KY fairgrounds turned out to be a perfect spot for tonight, I"ll be sleeping on the stage right next to where I can peek out and see the stars! Just wish the light pollution was a little less so I could really take it all in! It's a cool night, hoping I don't get too cold, however I'll be out of the wind and out of sight right on the road I will be traveling North on in the morning. Well its 15 till 10 and I've had a full day of "work" and it all starts again around 6:30AM tomorrow as I want to beat the heat and get to resting, and chores...