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Second to last day – day forty-six! Hard to believe! There were mixed emotions as we set out this morning knowing that it was our second to last day, but we also knew that it was 105 miles with 7100 feet in elevation making it the third largest day on the trip in terms of elevation. We were tired with fatigued legs from yesterday’s ride and had one heavier ride in front of us before we would see the final day – day forty-seven with a fairly easy 65-mile ride to the coast.
We set off in about 50-degree weather making it a little milder than the past few days. The sun was still low, and we had some fog making it chilly. By the first van stop, we were able to shed a few layers as we were sufficiently warm with a few hills and small climbs behind us and the warming temperatures on the day.
The first part of the ride was mostly flat – mainly a few small rollers and a couple of shorter climbs. We would start into the significant climbing portion of the day after the second rest stop at mile 43. We were faced with a 5 mile climb at 3% grade, but with a few 11% sections. The climb did start easy but quickly showed its true colors with some steeper sections. We were rewarded with a beautiful descent down a windy road through the fall foliage.
Lunch was at mile 63 and we refueled fairly quickly and listened to the route talk before heading out. We had a 10 and 5 mile climb ahead of us with about forty miles left on the day. The talk suggested it would be a five mile and then a ten mile climb with the five-mile climb starting almost immediately – both would be roughly 3% average elevation. Admittedly, this was different from what Ride with GPS said which suggested we had two shorter climbs left on the day – but did show a gradual increase in elevation for extended periods.
We set out and started our gradual climb. The climb went on and on and on and on. We were well past five miles and had hit a few punchy steep patches. I had become worried that there had been a very small break between the five- and ten-mile climbs, and it was more like a fifteen-mile climb. I was climbing with Ken and was getting a little concerned about how long we had been going.
Just before ten miles, Rene passed us and said, “Great job, you are 1/2 mile from the top!”. It was a relief to know that we had actually just finished the ten-mile climb and only had the five mile climb left. He was spot on and about 1/2 mile ahead, we crested the hill and faced with another lengthy descent.
Somewhere about mile 80, we had what would be our final van stop of the day and we set out again for the final five-mile climb thinking that it would be a little bit steeper than the one before. We were pleasantly surprised to find it was only four miles and wasn’t as steep as the previous two.
This was it. We had another beautiful descent and then a fairly flat 12-mile ride into town. The hard part of the riding was over. All that was left was to keep our legs healthy to ride the easier 65-mile ride into Portland tomorrow and we will have ridden… coast to coast.
We arrived at the hotel about 3:30 pm – significantly earlier than I had anticipated given the length of the ride and the climbing involved, but somehow, we’d managed to make good time. Perhaps flying down those lengthy descents at 35 miles per hour helped. I hopped in the pool for a bit for a pseudo-ice bath on my legs and then took a long hot shower and washed my hair. I wanted to be clean for the arrival in Portland tomorrow, and my hair has been getting sweaty and dirty under my skull cap in my helmet in the recent cold mornings.
We had a lovely group dinner with Ken across from the hotel as he won’t be with us in Porltand for our celebration dinner, so we celebrated early with him.
The feelings are mixed and bittersweet – excitement at what we’ve accomplished, sadness at leaving our new friends, anticipation about what life outside the bubble will be like. I am excited to return to my real life with this accomplishment under my belt and all the lessons it has taught me along the way. Just one more ride…