6/13/06

Day 5 - College Park to Charlottesville, VA

TRIP: 22,888 Calories, 441 miles = 597 miles per gallon
Day 5 - 6193 Calories, 128 miles = 641 miles per gallon

Finally a day without a headwind, which is reflected in the great MPG. Maybe the trip will end up over 600!

The longest ride I've ever done began with a relaxing intro to Northwest DC, which is a great place to commute. I left at 6:30 am, and found bike lanes on empty roads - very nice. Once out of DC, there was a bit more interaction with traffic. I youtube'd a wobbly video of the bridge to VA. I was loving it.



In Virgina, a sign for the CIA Center for Intelligence caught my eye. I rode past the signs saying "authorized vehicles only" but looped around at the "we heart to confiscate cameras". Well, an agent had seen me taking pictures of the sign outside, and motioned me over to a little guardhouse at the entrance to the compound. He didn't have a sense of humor about anything at first--he ran my ID and generally milled about. He gave me a stern talk, then loosened up and started asking about my trip.

I must have gotten a flat tire two days ago, because I woke up yesterday to find the rear was flat. I changed it (a huge hassle, since it is a tubular). I planned to stop at Performance Bike in Monassas today and pick up another tire. When I got there I found that the store has been shut down. No spare tire for me.


I started "hanging out" on the bike today--trying to find Aaron Schust's pedalling-rhythmed My Savior My God on the armband radio Sarah Wilson so generously loaned me, screwing around with the cyclocomputer and HRM, and of course, drinking tons of Fierce Melon. After 80 miles of these activities, I ran over a tire-popper. To change the tire, I had to scrub the rim with acetone for half an hour and then tape on the new (old and leaking) tire. Back on the road at 4:50. 45 miles to go.

I decided early in the day to eat trash, in order to see how it made me feel. I feel great!

Breakfast:

Bowl of granola cereal with strawberry yogurt mixed in - no milk.

Ride (Check out the Tastee Freeze Pic):

3 Taco Bell Chicken Quesadillas
2 Taco Bell Double Decker Tacos

2 Gatorade Fierce Melon drinks


Tastee Freeze Milkshake with Butterfinger chunks
Mush/Sws Burger

Evening

2 helpings of home made mac and cheese
2 oranges

I arrived at my cousins' house in Charlottesville 12.5 hours after I started from College Park.

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