Day 34 -- Quincy to Springfield -- 111 Miles

Greetings from Springfield -- the state capital of Illinois, and (eternal) home of Honest Abe Lincoln.

I had a tough day today. For some reason I was not on "Crusader Time" (a rule my college basketball coach implemented. It meant you arrived somewhere, and were ready to go 15 minutes early for everything) for the luggage load, and I ended up being the last person to leave the hotel. For some of my Holy Cross hoop friends, please know that I am as surprised as you probably are that I was not on "Crusader Time." Normally, I show up to things on "Hurley Time" -- 15 minutes before "Crusader Time." Credit for coming up with the creative name goes to my 4-year college roommate.

Anyway, once I finally did depart the hotel in Quincy, it was not long (4 miles) before I hit another stumbling block-- flat tire. After changing the tire, I hammered to the first SAG. I refueled at the SAG, hit the road, and was starting to hit my stride. As I approached the Illinois River Bridge, I was ready to step it up another notch but I fell victim to yet another flat. Once again, I changed it out, hit the road, and enjoyed the rest of the flat-free ride.

From a scenic/terrain standpoint, Illinois masqueraded itself as Missouri during the first leg, as we were subjected to a fair amount of rolling hills. In the second leg, Illinois seemed more like Kansas -- cornfield after cornfield after cornfield (minus, for the most part, the awful aroma). Thankfully, I eventually made it to Springfield, and there was some semblance of civilization.

We were originally slated to ride 106 miles, but I added 5 miles so that I could see Abe Lincoln's tomb. Chances are I will not be coming back to Springfield anytime soon, so I figured it was best to "man up" and do the extra mileage. I was pleased with that decision. Now, I am about to make an even better decision -- hit the sack so that I try and crush another century tomorrow.