A tough day to cycle the BRP. It was pouring rain when we arrived at the other side of the closed section of parkway. I was ready to ride. Mark was at least smiling. Jeff didn't seem too happy to start. Never the less, we cycled south towards the Blowing Rock/Boone area to stay on schedule.
It rained steadily for the first 28 miles. At times it was a drizzle and at times it was a downpour. But it never stopped. At home, one would just cancel their ride. But when you are on the road and on a schedule, you don't have as many options.
There were no views early on. Did I mention that it rained a lot? But between my raincoat and the shower cap over my helmet, I stayed pretty warm as long as I didn't stop.
Finally, it stopped raining for the last hour and a half of the ride. The sun briefly came out and there actually were some views of the mountains and valleys. We are hoping for better weather as we get into higher elevation the further south we cycle. For a short day, there was a lot of climbing. No large climbs, just a lot of small 200 foot ups and downs that added up to over 100 feet per mile of climb.
Tomorrow is an off day in the Blowing Rock/Boone area. I'm not sure what we will do, and likely will leave it up to Aila and Karen to decide.
Here is today's Garmin data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/176212729
If you liked today, you'll love tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteEllen, that was certainly true on this day. Conditions couldn't have been worse. Thursday looks to be much better, though we have a monster day in miles and climbing planned.
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