Thursday, June 25, 2009

Brattleboro, Vermont to Burlington, Massachusetts

93 miles, 6:03 riding time, 4,380 feet climbing, 4,826 Calories

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world. (Emerson)

Almost there!

No rain, partly cloudy skies, and mild winds (no, still not out of the west), made for a perfect day to ride from Vermont into the outskirts of Boston. We crossed two state lines today, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The New Hampshire border came shortly after leaving the hotel. We crossed the Connecticut River and followed the river for a while before joining Route 119. Cross Roads saved the steepest hills for today; my Garmin measured slopes of 12% on a couple of long climbs! It was such a beautiful day, I left Al and Peter for a bit and rode ahead of them, up and down the mountains, into the first SAG stop. My buddies soon caught up with me at the SAG and we rode the rest of the day together. About half way thought the ride, we began a long descent, losing a thousand feet of elevation over a few miles. The second SAG stop was our last SAG stop of the trip; it was located next to a nice hot dog stand that served fresh squeezed lemonade. The rest of the day was spent riding up and down over rolling hills through the forest. Ron, one of last year's riders met us in Carlisle and led us in to the hotel - this was much appreciated as the route was very windy with many turns to navigate. We stopped briefly to photograph the statue of the Minuteman in Lexington, rolled into the hotel, gave each other a high five, and collapsed.

Today was our last, full day of riding! Unbelievable. Tomorrow, we ride the final eighteen miles to Revere Beach to complete our coast to coast bicycle trip.

5 comments:

  1. I am so happy and proud for you! It was such a please to ride with you from LA to ABQ.

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  2. Well done, my friend, well done.
    My hat is off to all of you.
    It's a little bittersweet to read of today's ride from where I sit but at the same time I'm thrilled for each and every one of you - monumental achievement!
    Bob

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  3. Go Dad Go! Nearly there- amazing! So fun to live vicariously through your blog. It almost motivates me to exercise... almost. (:
    Love from us to you!

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  4. Ummm, the members of the Beach Bike Trek Team do not understand this talk of "the last full day of riding." We were under the impression that once you reached Revere Beach you would be TURNING AROUND and riding back, thereby providing us with additional journey photos, blog entries, and such. Please check with the organizers - Revere Beach is probably only your half way marker. However, if indeed this is your final day of riding, then we wish to file a formal protest.

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  5. Congratulations, Jim - and welcome to the "right" ocean! Wish I could be there in person to welcome you and take you to dinner. Next time? ;-)

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