Countiss 2023 USA Tour

  • Day 36: A Quickie

    We had a quick 53 mile ride today with a tailwind and cool temperatures. It’s also a quick blog post because the Best Western in Richmond does not have functioning internet. It was a very nice ride with lunch at the Firehouse BBQ in the depot district of Richmond. Tomorrow we have a 105 mile…

  • Day 35: Indy

    Indianapolis was the highlight of today’s 75 mile ride from Crawfordsville to Greenfield, Indiana. We were within earshot of the Speedway, in the town of Speedway, where they’re very proud of their Speedway. This is a big weekend at the Speedway, with a car stereo competition; a car exhaust competition; “car limbo”, which I assume…

  • Day 34: State #9, Time Zone #4

    Today started with Crazy Helmet Day, when many of us decorated our helmets. The photos of Chad and me aren’t up yet, but our skills paled in comparison to Linda’s. Hers has a throne for Sylvie, a stuffed flamingo which is riding with her for her granddaughter. Jean has all the states we will visit.…

  • Day 33: Resting and eating

    Today was our fourth of five rest days. Last night I did the wash and repacked my bags and this morning I washed my bike and lubed the chain. Chad had his front wheel taken to the shop by Peyton. The wheel was knocked out of alignment several days ago when Chad took a tumble.…

  • Day 32: Family Reunions

    Today was a lovely if visually monotonous day riding 91 miles across Illinois from Springfield to Champaign. We had 3 family visits. The first was Todd’s wife, brother, and sister-in-law who surprised Todd at the first SAG stop. He was expecting his wife, but not his brother who flew from Germany for the visit. When…

  • Day 31: A Long Ride

    Today was a 107 mile ride through some very flat land. When I first saw the itinerary I thought, “Gee, after a month of riding a 107 mile day will seem like nothing!” Au contraire! Chad felt very strong all day, which he attributed to a large stack of pancakes in the morning. His energy…

  • Day 30: The Big Muddy

    Today , in order, we passed the 2000 mile mark, crossed the Mississippi, and entered Illinois. It’s hard to believe we were in Los Angeles only 4 weeks ago and now we’re in Quincy, Illinois. We started a little late today because it is Sunday and had our SAG in Knox City, Missouri. Kind of…

  • Day 29: Ups and Downs

    Today we went up and down about 140 hills on a 75 mile ride from Chillicothe to Kirksville, Missouri. That’s a lot of hills. They weren’t just easy rollers, either: many were grades of >10%, which is pretty steep for a road bike. And it was sunny and hot. Several riders thought today was the…

  • Day 28: A Big Welcome

    Every March 15 the buzzards return to Hinckley, Ohio; every March 19 the swallows return to San Juan Capsitrano, California; and every June 2 Crossroads returns to Maysville, Missouri. Maysville is a small town, but to them we’re just as big a deal as the buzzards. First we’re met at the school with curious looks…

  • Day 27: Missouri and a Sigh of Relief, Unrelated

    The second radio station in Topeka, WREN, installed this bird statue on its roof in 1947. It was taken down in 1993 when the station changed its call letters. It was created in the 1930s when the station was located in Lawrence, Kansas. Chad and I were too tired yesterday to make a special trip…