Maine Bike Ride Day 5

Slept like a baby last night! That would be a baby with recurring leg and foot cramps through the night despite my heavy use of supplements, vitamins and minerals to keep the body in optimal shape. Started Day 5 at the Holiday Inn in North Adams, Mass and had Huevos Rancheros with home fries for breakfast! Burning lots of calories each day and trying to find foods that will stick with me thru the day. Richard is still suffering from knee pain/discomfort and he decided to wait until after CVS Pharmacy opened at 9am so he could get more products for his knee pain. Michael stayed back with him and I took off solo about 730-8am or so. Headed North on Route 8 headed for the Vermont border crossing near Stamford, Mass. Again lots of climbing, check out the Garminconnect links and click on the elevation profiles to follow along. Passed several Moose Crossing signs but saw no moose. Did see and hear pileated woodpeckers frequently, one of my all-time fave birds. Stayed on 8 North which ran with 100North for a ways up and up and up to the ridgeline near Searsburg, Vt where the Green Mountain Power Company has a pod of windmills grouped on the ridge to generate sustainable power. Waited there for a while for Michael and Richard but too windy and chilled, imagine that? Rode down off the ridge solo to the Route 9 intersection and just laid down along the roadway waiting for the other guys. Michael and I are both pulling BOB bicycle trailers and the owners manual clearly states no speed in excess of about 20mph! We clocked in around 40-42 mph today on certain sections of roadway and the trailers actually pull very nicely and seem rock solid and stable. Went into Wimington, Vermont for photos for my daughter Amber(who most of you know lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. Had originally planned to take 100North from Wilmington towards Jamaica, Londonberry and then to Ludlow by way of the killer climb up Okemo firetower road but we opted for a more moderate crossing of Route 9 east bound through Marlboro then on to Brattleboro. We actually stopped very early at Holiday Inn Express and soaked in the hot tub and had the pool to ourselves. Wendys Chili and a single for dinner and did everybodys laundry as we all had some ripe cycling stuff! On an interesting sidenote; while doing one of the big climbs this morning another cyclist passed me going downhill the other direction. A couple minutes later a voice over my left shoulder announced that the cyclist had turned around and was joining me for some of the climb. Turned out to be an 85 year old strongman training for the Senior Games this August in Palo Alto, California. Name of Leon and he races in the 5km and 10km time trials and he also does the 20km and 40km road races. He was riding an older KHS road bike because it was supposed to rain and he didn't want to get his new Trek Madone 5.2 dirty!! He's the age group record holder throughout New England and when I looked over his bike I noticed that he was in the big chainring up front while I was spiining away in my lowest, granny gear. A true cycling strongman at 85 years old. Wish I had the foresight to have taken his picture!