Last night we slept at a couple’s house in BFE Ohio. Their house was on the edge of a corn field. We arrived after a long, wet day to find a pony keg of beer and many home-cooked dishes. When we tapped their keg, they brought out bottles of all kinds of excellent brews. In the morning, we feasted on fresh coffee & doughnuts cooked in their bakery early that morning. Definitely one of the best hookups of the whole trip.
Today was quite rainy with a tough headwind. Since yesterday, a few other cyclists told me my rear wheel was wobbly. When I checked it this afternoon, I noticed I had 3 broken spokes *gasp*. Don gave me a ride to the next van stop, we replaced the spokes (Sojourn has 2 mounted on the frame), and trued the wheel. I rode the rest of the way into Monroeville, Indiana–just past the state line from Ohio.
Anyway, it’s 23:00–well past my bedtime (I’m absolutely exhausted). Tomorrow we have a 98 mile day. It’s our longest yet, but now that we’re into the plains, it shouldn’t be too tough so long as I get on the road at a decent time. I’m now setting my alarm for 05:00. Hopefully we’ll be blessed with partly sunny, no rain, and a strong tail wind–but I don’t have any expectations.
Last year, on your own, no broken spokes and 1 flat. This year…well let’s just hope that the repairs for the trip are over…
Keep on bikin…
LOVE,
DAD
Got another broken spoke the following day. I had some hairline cracks on my rear tire mid-semester last year, so I bought a new rear wheel before the tour this summer. Sure enough, it’s this new rear wheel that’s giving me trouble (even though it has *more* spokes than the originals). *shrug*
At least I’ve had no major issues yet (spokes are ~$1). I twisted my rear derailer (~$100) within the first 2 weeks last summer…