We’ve had a couple of hectic and long days, so we’ll be condensing days 9 & 10 into one journal. The last two days haven’t been easy, as the team has tackled two centuries - BACK TO BACK! We’ve really been toughing it out, but I’d say this team is incredibly perseverant and has found ways to have fun these past two days despite the mental and physical stress.

RIDE OVERVIEW

Mileage: 102 miles + 100 miles = 202 miles

Elevation: 6,338 ft + 4,393 ft = 10,731 ft

Points of Interest: Fairmont, Zhara’s Food Truck, Marietta,

Tales of the Trail

Day 9

We started day 9 with an early morning wake-up at 4:45 am to prepare for the long day ahead, albeit we still rolled out of our stayover around 7 due to the long walk from our yurts down to the parking lot. The team also decided on having a picture contest, with the winning group earning a prize for having taken the best picture on the ride. The ride started with a big descent, which proved to be easier than the climb up the previous day. After riding through and out of Morgantown, we hit a nice rail trail along the Monongahela River and took a quick rest stop to refuel. We also rode through our longest tunnel of the ride so far! After some miles on the trail, we got back on the road for a lunch stop in Fairmont, WV. We had an amazing stop at Yemen Coffee Hut and Zhara’s Food Truck, where we had some great coffee and halal food, which was well-needed after a long start to our day.

After lunch, we dealt with some rolling hills through West Virginia, which weren’t too difficult, but my group did experience a downpour that apparently didn’t touch other groups. After our third rest stop, we rode through a more secluded and scenic valley, which included some big climbs. At this point, our groups were more separated than initially expected, and the phone signal was weak, requiring us to use our handy satellite phones to communicate. The last climb proved to be difficult, but it was worth it when we looked out at the countryside of West Virginia atop the mountain. We descended down the mountain and were welcomed by some very nice folks in New Martinsville, where the team ate a hearty meal and some amazing cake.

Thank you to the community of St. Vincent De Paul Church for giving us a place to sleep with some comfy cots. We really enjoyed your hummingbird and heath bar cake

Day 10

After getting some rest after our century the previous day, we mentally prepared to take on yet another century. It was a foggy morning as we rode out of New Martinsville along the Ohio River. The first rest stop was near a waste management facility – no worries, we didn’t smell anything! The team has been working on making our rest stops quicker and more efficient, especially on longer days, and I would say that we’ve been improving – shoutout to the van drivers who have done a great job at getting us back on the road! After the skies cleared and we got back on the road, we rode into the great state of Ohio, marking it our fifth state of the ride! We tackled some hills soon after crossing state lines, and the team has surely become stronger during bigger climbs. We stopped in Marietta for lunch, and many of us got subs from McKenna’s Market while chilling on the Ohio River.

We faced more rolling hills after lunch, and high temperatures started to wear us out, but my team took it slow and steady, which made it easier to get through the day. We took a quick rest stop on the side of the road, and the team took some time to refuel before hitting some gravel roads. Handling our bikes on the gravel roads was difficult, and my team walked some of the way, but it gave us some time to interact with the local cows! We ended our ride on a well-paved bike path and enjoyed the sunset while rolling through Athens. We ended our day at the OHIO ecohouse in the middle of Ohio University, and Matt and Harbin cheffed up some meat pasta and bread for dinner before we got some rest.