Day 42: Cruising Through Ohio

Wooster to Youngstown, OH
Miles:  85  Climb:  3,776
Total Miles:  3,327

We continued our journey through rural Ohio today.  The fields of soybeans, corn, and wheat were expansive and the contrasting greens and golds were beautiful.  The farms were meticulous with beautiful homes, barns, and gardens.  Many riders have said that next to Colorado, Ohio has been their favorite state through which we've ridden.  The farms are beautiful, the weather has been perfect, and the terrain has been challenging. For the most part the road conditions have been good, although we did have some rough roads today.

The first sixty miles of the ride today were very hilly, some of the steepest hills we've had. I just quit looking at the Garmin and focused on taking the hills as efficiently as possible. My legs were tired from yesterday's birthday hill celebration, so my strategy today was to complete the 85 miles without bonking.  I've made great progress in getting over my fear of speed on descents, and in Ohio hit an all time high of more than 38 mph going down a hill. My friend from the Netherlands was riding behind me and when we got to the bottom of the hill he said "My, how things have changed since we started." I don't know if my new found courage will transfer to mountain descents when we get to Vermont and New Hampshire. I'm guessing the "Pulse-the-Brakes and Keep-it-Under 30" Laura will return.

Tomorrow we head north to Erie, Pennsylvania.  Forecast is for perfect weather. Cool temperatures for this time of year and low humidity. 93 miles to Erie, and then we have our last rest day!