Day 27: Wooster, Ohio to Warren, Ohio

Distance: 98 miles
Average Speed: 17.5 mph
Terrain: 2800 feet, no level roads
Winds: Light headwinds all day

Well, after yesterday today disappointed. I kind of struggled with keeping my head in the right place all day. I had some frustrations.

The weather was beautiful, but two nights of hotels without laundry facilities left me without a non-freestanding short sleeve jersey, so I went with a long sleeve provided at the beginning of the ride by America by Bicycle (the tour company). It had gone unused and unwashed. It had that scratchy polyester feeling and was too warm. That, and I looked like Captain America, and if you’ve learned one thing about me it should be that I may be the vainest motherscratcher on the planet. So I rode too warm and feeling scratchy. Strike one.

Then there were the roads. The terrain pissed me off. Up and down in irritating rhythm all day. The roads were all tore up, too. To the residents of the Canton-Akron-Warren area: Get your roads fixed; you live like barbarians. And also, screw you; learn to drive with some manners. I imagine them living in overheated homes with tacky ‘70s décor—plaid upholstery and avocado appliances. I imagine them dressed perpetually in oversize football jerseys that still can not cover their expansive guts. I hate them. But probably just for today. Strike two.

I was hoping for an easy day, maybe sitting in with a small group and going easy. Today was short; tomorrow is 137 miles into Dunkirk, New York. But I don’t think I could have gone as slow as the next fastest couple of riders. I don’t know how they didn’t fall down. Some of these guys can go with me, at least for a while. Either they’re tired or lazy. I think the countdown has begun and focus is suffering. I think I’ll be largely soloing from here on out, though I’d love to have some company. Strike three.

So that’s my whining. On the upside, the dogs showed some spirit, a bit of rage, and some solid tactics. The young dumb ones will try to chase you down from behind. I had one yesterday with some really sound endurance. He must have chased for a quarter mile. The pace wasn’t blazing, but he was certainly game. I had a couple of crafty ones today who knew how to work the angles. They’re more like a free safety closing the gap to a faster wide receiver to make a tackle. They’ll come at you quiet and at a lope and then really hit the gas as they close. I had one as well that was evidently snoozing in the yard across a ditch from the road until I got right up on her. Subterfuge! She suddenly jumped across the ditch and lunged at me. It was brilliant. These are the tactics I can see Mel employing, using her wits rather than her stubby little legs. She once got a squirrel using similar tactics.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Tonight I’m in Ohio. Tomorrow I’m in New York. On no night am I in Pennsylvania. That kind of blows my mind. Later.