Day 12: The road to Damascus

Day 12

Wytheville to Damascus 60miles

Left the motel around 8ish, with the plan of getting to Konnarock and the dentist in plenty of time.

Weather today was much nicer. A lot cooler and a little cloudy, it was even a little chilly when I set off. But much rather that than it being hot as soon as I start pedalling.

According to the maps, today was another big climb day, with the highest elevation being greater than that of the Blue Ridge Parkway. But on the plus side, there would be some big downhill sections once the climbing was done.

The first 15miles or so were fine, and I stopped at Rural Retreat for some breakfast. This was my first proper breakfast stop whilst riding. Previously places had been shut or not there anymore.

So I celebrated in style with sausage and eggs. Although americans dont seem to do sausage like we would – they always look like burgers.

The riding today was some of the most enjoyable so far. The smaller ups and downs were not too bad, and even the big climb felt more comfortable than previously. Maybe Im just getting fitter!

Decided that staying here might be a bit dangerous!

Stopped in Troutdale after the main part of the climb for a sandwich and a milkshake and then carried on up to the top. The ride down into Konnarock was great as very little pedalling was required.

Managed to find my dentist, and it seemed to go well. He was worried that the cavity was quite big and might flare up. I have some drugs to take if it happens, but fingers crossed ill be ok until I get home and can get it looked at properly.

The rest of the ride was pretty much all downhill into Damascus. And was probably my favourite bit of biking so far. It was a lovely windy road with rocks on one side and a river on the other. Could get up to some good speeds, but never felt like it was too steep and likely to get away from you like the descent down to Vesuvius. It seems that there is a trail that runs next to the main road which is popular with cyclists – but only going downhill! So I kept getting passed by vans with trailers full of bikes which people can then ride back into town.

Arrived in Damascus and found “The Place”, which is a free hostel for bikers and hikers. Its pretty basic – you just have to grab a bunk anywhere – but it had a shower and a few people there. They all seemed to be hikers though. I met one guy called Jeff, although apparently his trailname is 'Serrin'. Seems like all these walkers have these nicknames. Perhaps I should come up with my own trailname – any suggestions welcome.

Currently now in the library (which is open till 7pm tonight luckily) using their wifi. Met another hiker called Josh, or Bookworm. Guess that the library is the most likely place to meet someone with that name.

Tooth is a bit sore at the moment, but im hoping thats just because it was poked a lot today.

Tomorrow is likely to be a tough day. There are a number of very steep up and down sections. Although the campsite I am aiming for has a pool apparently! Very poor phone reception all day today, so hence why I havent been able to text people sorry!

Day 11: Teething problems

Day 11

0 miles

Not much progress today!

On saturday evening I noticed a bit of pain in one of my teeth. Closer inspection in the mirror revealed a small cavity (possibly from a dislodged filling). It wasnt too painful (not keeping me up at night or anything), but it was noticeable. I decided it would be better to get it looked at now, rather than leave it and have it get worse when Im in the middle of nowhere.

Of course, it came at the worse time as nowhere would be open again until monday morning. A quick google search revealed that Wytheville seemed well stocked with dentists, so I was confident I would be able to get an appointment and be on my way.

Didnt quite pan out like that. All the dentists I called were fully booked for weeks. Until I tried on about 45miles away in Konnorock . Konnarock is on the route, and the woman was able to give me an appointment at 3pm. So I decided to have a day in Wytheville and to get to Konnaorock on tuesday. And then afterwards carry on to Damascus as I had planned to do anyway.

Its quite a lot of climbing tomorrow, so my legs my like the extra rest anyway. Although the good thing is that once I get as far as Konnarock, I am on the downhill section all the way to Damascus. I sent a text to Dave, who said it took him around 5hrs to get from Wytheville to Damascus. So ill probably leave around 8.30ish and take it easy. If I arrive early Ill just read my book in the waiting room as I cant afford to be late.

Had a bit of a wander round Wytheville, and it seems like quite a nice little town. I liked some of the shop signs!

So a bit of a setback, but nothing too major. I am a bit behind where I would ideally be, but should catch up once I can put in a few back to back 60mile days.

Day 10: Feeling wet wet wet

Day 10

Christiansburg to Wytheville 55 miles

Woke up at 7, faffed around for a bit, and finally left around 8.15ish. For some reason my saddle had slipped down (presumbly when I had the bike upsidedown to clean it yesterday), so I quickly had to raise it up again.

Altough sunny, the weather was definitely cooler than some of the previous days, which made for pleasant riding. Soon turned on to route 666 – truly the road to hell!

As ever, the trail was up and down, although perhaps not quite so much as previous days. Got to Draper, which was around 30 miles, and stopped for a quick break.

As I was waiting, I saw a cyclist coming in the other direction, and called out to say hello. He came over and we had a nice chat. Ed was a 49 year old from Reno, who set out on theWestern Express route and then joined the TransAm. The Western Express route starts in California on the coast and heads in a pretty much straight easterly direction, arrivign at Pueblo Colorado, where riders can then join the TransAm. Its almost 500miles shorter than doing the TransAmerica route, but the downside is that you have to ride through the desert basin in the SW of the country. Ed had started in April, so it was probably cool enough then. Dave and Brad who I had met were planning on doing this route and then should be hitting the desert in July – lovely!

It was nice to swap route tips and places to stay with someone. Ed confirmed that the Appalachians are the hardest part of the ride. In fact he said he had managed a few 100+mile days on the flat sections, including one of 140miles! I warned him about the climb he faces from Vesuvius up to the Blue ridge parkway, and he pointed out a couple of nasty climbs I'll have to tackle.

What amazed me most was how little kit he had. Just two panniers which didnt look that full and a tent. Makes me think I should probably have another purge soon!

Set off again and rode until about 1, when I came across a restaurant. The road today pretty much ran parallel to the much busier Interstate road, so this whole area with the restaurant appeared to be like a motorway service station in the UK. Had some lunch and then set off again.

The amount of cloud cover was much greater today, although usually here that tends to mean one thing: thunder!

The closer I got to Wytheville, the greyer the skies got until they opened up. It was certainly a change to be riding in the rain as opposed to the the heat. And even though I got pretty soaked, it wasnt even slightly cold. Actually it was quite refreshing really. The only problem I could see would be if there was likelihood of thunder and lightening. Although I heard a few distance rumbles today, there wasnt too much.

Getting a bit murky by this point

Overall, another reasonable successful day. Its weird to think that in terms of time, if not distance, Im already over 10% of the way through. Its gone pretty quickly really. Odometer says 445miles, but that includes detours and cycling around looking for places to stay.

And have a few random photos from today for good measure!

Day 9: A little bit of R & R

Day 9

0 miles - Rest day!

So today was a rest day, and as such not a huge amount to report!

Dave set off around 8ish and we said goodbye, although we may well see each other again. Swapped phone numbers so he can warn me of anything on the road!

Went to Famous Anthony's for breakfast. Had eggs and sausage and then got a few bits from the food store.

The rest of the day was spent doing not a huge amount really. Washed some clothes, finished reading my second book, cleaned my bike. Also made use of the internet to plan my next week of riding. Hopefully, going to aim to get right through the second map in the next 7 days. Around 375 miles, so a bit of an daily increase from what Ive done previously. Seems to work out quite well, with a shorter 30mile day in the middle of the week to recover. We shall see how it pans out. The weather is supposed to be cooler in the next few days which should help. Although there may also be some thunder storms – there was one here today about 1.30pm and it chucked it down a for a while.

Think the next week will also involve more camping and hostels, so might not be able to update the blog as much unless I get to a library or find some WiFi hotspots.

But the legs feel a lot fresher after doing very little today, so hopefully tomorrows ride will be nice and easy. If only!

Day 8: Looking forward to rest day!

Day 8

Daleville to Christiansburg 47miles

Another earlyish start today. Had some breakfast in the motel, and then set off around 8.45ish.

Today the plan was to get to Christiansburg, which marks a bit of a mile stone. Its the end point for the first map on the TransAm trail. Officially, the distance to Christiansburg is 367miles, so progress is being made slowly!

Today was another up and down type day. The overall gradient was an upward one for first 25miles, but the roads were very undulating, with some short steep climbs. The views today were definitely nicer than yesterday. My understanding (might be wrong!) is that the route at the moment is going between the two ranges of mountains that make up the Appalachians. So to the sides of the road, we get some nice views of the mountains as we ride alongside them.

The problem of course is that at some point in the next week, I'll have to go over the other range! Many people say that the Appalachians are the hardest part of the TransAm route. Whilst the Rockies reach much higher elevations (11,500ft at the highest point of the trail) the climbs are much less severe, and less undulating. Whereas the Appalachians are up and down, with much steeper climbs. Definitely got a feel for that today!

Stopped off at Catawba after about 18miles for a gatorade (what else?) and a ham sandwich. Soon after we encountered a couple of hikers, Bob and Bryce, who were walking a section of the Appalachian trail. They had met after a couple of days on the trail, and were now 3 weeks in. They were planning on taking around 10 weeks to do their walks. Bob, who was older, is trying to complete the complete trail (over 2,000) miles in sections. When I was waiting for my bike to be fixed in Charlottesville, I remember reading that the record for walking the entire trail was something like 45days – must be a hell of a pace!

Wasnt as hot today, and the miles slowly ticked over. At around 40miles we reached a gas station. Went in for a drink, to be told that cyclists wearing a helmet can get a free bottle of water – excellent.

The last few miles into Christiansburg were pretty tough, with very steep climbs. It seems that every town I finish the day in is on the top of a massive hill. I reckon it must be a strategic thing. With the strategy being to try and convince cyclists that they really should get a car!

Spending the night in yet another motel. I know, I know...

But tomorrow I am planning a rest day. After 8 days on the road, my legs are in need of a rest and I also need to do some mundane stuff like laundry and bike cleaning. Dave is carrying on tomorrow, so we will part company after today. Although I guess I could catch him up in the future, is schedule is a bit tighter than mine though, so he will probably get ahead of me.

So overall, not a bad start to the trip. At the moment im still a little behind what my average daily mileage needs to be, but I am doing the hardest part of the ride. Once the flatlands of Kansas hove into view, I reckon 70-80 miles a day should be doable. My next ride on Sunday should be around 65miles, so that will be a record for a day so far if it comes off – and it wont even be a motel Im staying in either!

Day 7: Feeling hot hot hot

Day 7

Lexington to Daleville 46 miles

Woke up, had reheated pizza for breakfast, and set out about 9ish. Was already pretty hot out, and we agreed to just take it steady today as the mileage wasnt too onerous today.

Quickly came across some cows who clearly had the right idea in this weather!

As we turned one corner a woman shouted and asked if we needed water. Never one to turn down hospitality, we took her up on her offer. Turns out that Marilyn (and her husband Paul) regularly let cyclists camp at their house and provide water. They also gave us some snacks to take with us! Yet another example of the kindness of the American people.

Stopped off for more gatorade, and made sure to leave the bike somewhere safe.

And here is todays funny sign! Cant imagine people who work here get involved in office romances. Working with a munter must be bad enough, let alone dating one!

Around 12:30 we arrived in Buchanan looking for lunch. The temperature was already getting pretty high by this point...

Had lunch in a restaurant called Fountains, which was done out as a proper old style American dinner, complete with jukebox and drinks coolers.

Had a burger and a huge, tasty milkshake which I couldnt finish all of – there was so much of it.

When we left, the temperature was up to 101degrees.

The afternoon was hot, slow going. There was little shade on much of the route. It was generally uphill, but quite gradual. One other problem the heat causes is to melt the road. This makes it quite soft and sticky and lots of little stones stick to my tyres!

At one point, with our water bottles very hot, I asked someone if we could have some water. They asked us in, and gave us fresh cold water and ice!

Did the last few miles, and took a slight detour from the route to stick on highway 11, as our motel was just off this road. Got to Daleville in around 46miles. Weirdly, the ACA maps suggest it should have been around 52miles, but Im not complaining!

Checked into our motel – room 101! Clearly, the car loving Americans have decided we are in need of having our spirits broken and re-educated that cycling is wrong!

For $55 we have got a motel with a pool, wifi and a bed each. Its ridiculous how cheap these places are. Went for a swim to cool off which was great. Going to head out for dinner later.

So after one week on the road, Im definitely getting into it now. Passed 300 miles today, and although Im probably slightly behind my required 52miles a day, I should be able to make those miles up on the flatlands of Kansas.

Day 6: King of the Mountains

Day 6

Afton to Lexington 52 miles

Woke at 6am, and packed my stuff. By about 7.15 me and Dave were on the road. With a big old mountain to climb!

Got to the Blue Ridge Parkway turning and began the 27 miles of mostly uphill cycling. Even early on it was clear that the effort required would be rewarded with absolutely stunning views. My camera's memory card can hold around 2500 pictures, and I could have used most of them today.

An early stop to look at the views

It was good to have a person to ride with too, we took regular breaks at pretty much every overlook to take photos and have a drink.

The actual climbing wasnt as bad as I imagined it would be. I think my problem on the previous days was that I would try and power up the hills, up out the saddle but this would just tire my legs out. Today was all about using the gears on the bike. Most of the day was spent using the 2 lowest gears, but it wasnt too tiring on the legs as the gears were doing the work. It was often slow progress (7mph was a rare sight) but it was doable. I think from now on my hill technique will be all about getting up them easily, rather than quickly!

Hope he isnt scared of heights!

Thats not to say it was easy. Afton was at 1000ft, and we then had a downhill, before climbing up to around 3,300ft at the highest point! But those vistas were worth every pedal turn.

AT about 1pm (already 5 hours on the road) we covered the 30ish miles of the BRP we had to do, and prepared to take the plunge down to Vesuvius. It was extremely steep. I really dont know how Eastbound riders get up it. We had to stop regularly, as our rims were overheating with all the braking required. With lots of hairpins (or switchbacks as americans call them) it required lots of braking.

I would NOT want to have to climb up this!

But we soon reached Vesuvius and headed to Gerties. Gerties is another popular stop off for TransAm riders. They do great food (after all the effort, my cheeseburger tasted amazing) and riders write their names all over the interior. I left my mark for posterity, although writing on the ceiling is actually quite difficult!

The next part of the ride was a lovely long gentle downhill stretch. The only problem was the road was melting from the heat, so I ended up with loads of stones stuck to my wheels. We even took a quick paddle in the river to cool off at one point.

After conquering the mountains, the ride towards Lexington was great. The downhill gradient meant that it was easy to keep speeds of around 16-17mph without too much effort.

Stopped at a service station for more gatorade (I really should buy shares in them, as I seem to be drinking so much of the stuff!). Then there was a really quite horrible climb towards Lexington – not what was needed after 10hours on the road!

Got to Lexington at around 5.30, and found a cheap motel. For two of us, it was just $25 each – bargain. I am conscious that I havent used my tent much yet. I think I was get further into the centre it will get much more use, but as Im still feeling my way into things I dont mind getting motels. That seems to be a common consensus amongst riders.

Do really feel like I achieved something today, and that I am a bit more of a real cyclist now.

Anyway, my pizza has just arrived so must dash. My Garmin said I burnt over 5000 calories today, so I think I've earned it!!!