Wooster, OH

Another great day on the bike. Warm and sunny - how lucky are we??? The route from Marsyville to Wooster was 98 miles, so Ira, Harry and I cruised around the town of Wooster a bit to get a true 100. Cute little college town. Finally got back to some climbing today, and most of it was from mile 75-95, so that was special. Nothing quite like having the climbs at the end of a ride!!!

I must admit, the roads were a bit rough today. So that slows down the pace a bit and also takes a bit more of the focus onto the road. In addition, we experienced a nice coating of fresh tar on our tires as we rolled through a road repair area. Then the sticky tar really collected a nice assortment of rocks. The increased drag on the tires wasn't exactly what we needed. I really can't say I've ever seen it glue on like that. We were thinking we'd have to get real creative with ways to scrape the stuff off. But just getting some miles on regular road took care of it, as it eventually worked it's way off. Just like getting miles in seems to take care of a lot of other things, eh?

The usual 4 suspects were joined by Willie and Chris today. We even rode with Peter for a while!Yep, some of the Big Dogs are joining us, if you can believe it!! I figure our group is kind of like the rehab unit of the tour -- folks will join us when they need to take it easy due to a sore knee or maybe a need to talk a bit, or just slow down from the competitive pace and smell the roses, etc etc.... Then we release them when they are ready to spread their wings again.

Beautiful countryside with crops and trees. As we crested some of the rolling hills, we were treated to wonderfully expansive vistas. Part of the route took us through Amish country, but I did not actually see any of the horse/buggy stuff or anything. Our route took us through quiet roads, with lots of chances to see nice homes and yards along the way. I am really enjoying seeing all the older homes and civic buildings in the towns we pass through. The classic courthouses, libraries, schools and churches always catch my eye.