Day 43 -- Youngstown, OH to Erie, PA

Miles: 103.10
Total Miles: 3286.65
Time: 6:28
Average Speed: 15.9 mph
Max Speed: 36.3 mph
Flats Today: 0
Total Flats: 14
Elevation Gain: 2438 ft
Weather: Low wind around 85 degrees
Today was similar to the last 3 centuries we just did except it was a bit cooler and there were more trees. Also, there was more grapes and less corn. 4 centuries in a row is something that I thought I would never do, but here I am and I feel great. A year ago on GOBA we rode a 102 miles one of the days and I was about to collapse. It's amazing that a year later I can do 4 of them in a row and want to ride again tomorrow. Anyway, we woke up at 5:30, ate breakfast at 6:00, loaded at 7:00, then began our last day in Ohio. For the first 30 miles to the first sag stop there were small rolling hills, and most of us riders were in a large group. After the group got split up a little bit, about 5 of us drafted behind Wade for the next 20 miles to the sag. We arrived at the sag stop along with 25 riders, and of those 25 riders, we were the last ones to leave... we just love our sag stop food.

After the first sag stop we rode really slow because there was a winery about 30 miles ahead that opened at 12:00 and it was only 9:30. We rode at about 13 mph, talked with Fran, Freddy, and Cindy for those 30 miles, and it went by quick. By the way, Freddy is a 62 year old man who doesn't look that old and definitely doesn't think he's that old. When we were out to dinner the other night, Freddy was showing Wade how to "properly" dispense the ice cream. When Freddy left the ice cream machine, the woman behind Wade asked him, "Is grandpa showing you how to do the ice cream?" Wade just chuckled, got some ice cream, then came back to the table and told everyone what the lady said. Now, because of Wade, Freddy's nick name is Grandpa. Almost everyone on the trip, including the staff, has called Freddy "Grandpa." Also along our slow ride to the winery we saw a bunch of buggies parked at a house, so we stopped to take a picture. When we were quiet for a second, we heard people in the house singing. We found out that the Amish were at church. It was definitely something I didn't expect, but it was pretty cool.

Anyway, we arrived at the winery and I tasted some wines with Fran. The 45 minutes that we were there gave Wade enough time to take a nap. It was a nice winery, but it wasn't anything special. After the winery, we rode 8 miles to the second sag stop. The stop was at a root beer stand, and it had a very nice setup. We stayed there for awhile, then continued on our way. Not even a mile after the sag, Ohio ended and we crossed over to Pennsylvania. We took a few pictures at the Pennsylvania sign, then we moved on. The rest of the ride to the hotel was relatively flat, the roads were smooth, and there weren't head winds, so it was great. At certain points on our way to the hotel we could see parts of Lake Erie, but there was a tree line that blocked our view most of the way. When we got about a mile from the hotel we made our final turn, then we looked up at a giant wall. We had just gone 102 miles, and our last mile was straight up hill all the way to the hotel. What a finish to 4 centuries in a row.