Day 46: Two Detours Make a Century

Hamburg to Canandaigua, NY
Miles:  100  Climb:  4,586

The planned route today was 95 miles from Hamburg to Canandaigua.

We left Hamburg, which is on the eastern tip of Lake Erie, and headed for Canandaigua in the Finger Lakes region of New York.  I set out with my friend Liz and Jane, one of the ABB staff whose day it was to ride instead of work.  Jane is from the Hamburg/Aurora area and asked if we'd like to stop by her son's house to meet her two year old grandson.  At mile 15 we went off route about 2 miles and had a short but fun visit with her son, daughter-in-law and grandson.

We rode the rest of the day along Route 20/Route 5.  Hills of soybean, wheat, and corn stretched out on both sides of the road.  We saw few vineyards today, I assume because we are too far away from the Lake.  The crops and the lawns showed signs of stress from lack of moisture.  They need rain here.  The architecture of the homes, especially in the small towns we rode through, is starting to have a New England feel.

The terrain was very hilly, and we climbed for the entire 100 miles.  Up and down from hill to hill, some steep and some long and gradual.  While I am not much faster on the flats, my climbing skills have improved significantly.  I truly enjoyed the hills today.  At mile 70 we came to the Tom Wahl Root Beer Stand and stopped for a root beer.  At the top of the hill at mile 84 we came to a home made ice cream shop, so we stopped for ice cream.  We are eating our way though New York.

When we came into Canandaigua, we had ridden 97 miles.  Liz and I agreed that it was silly  to stop at 97, so we took our second detour and rode past the hotel to Lake Canandaigua and back to the hotel to hit an even 100 miles.  This will be the last century ride of the trip and we will remember this as the most fun and tasty one.

There were a number of flats today, including one that Jane had early in the day.  One rider had problems with broken spokes and ended up riding on a his second borrowed wheel from the America by Bicycle mechanic.  The miles are taking a toll on our bodies and our bikes.

Tomorrow we ride 70 miles of hills to Liverpool, a suburb of Syracuse. We are thankful for the short day and the promising forecast of continued nice weather.  Anticipation for the finish is growing.