Day 46 -- Hamburg to Canandaigua -- 100 Miles

Please don't let this scenic photo by Canandaiuga Lake fool you. Yes, the sun is shining and evertyhing looks peaceful and serene, but we battled the weather to get to that point. We pedaled through approximately 35-40 miles in some pretty heavy rain.

There was really nothing great about the wet miles, except for the discovery of my new favorite sign of the trip (I'll bet that only my wife and I appreciate this, but oh well). Once things cleared up, however, the ride was phenomenal.

I spent the dry half of the day with Georgia Joy, Pam (staff), One-Eleven Robb, Sooner Rick, and Chevy Chase Phil. As you can tell from the picture, we are becoming so cohesive as a cycling unit that we even eat lunch in a paceline (actually, as we ate our post-ride meal outside, it started to look stormy, so we were all forced to move the side that was protected by an awning).

Overall, it was another great day. This might sound crazy, but I think that the rain in the beginning of the day was a blessing for our group. There has been a lot of chatter about how the trip is winding down, and I felt a sense of complacency beginning to loom. Even though there was only 35-40 miles worth of rain, I think it was enough to serve as a reminder that we still have a long way to go, and need to stay focused at all times.

Today marked the final century of the tour -- I mean it this time! Actually, our cue sheet only had us scheduled for 94 miles, but after detours to downtown Canandaigua and the lake, we arrived at the hotel with 98 miles completed. Tacking on another 2 and making it an official century seemed like the right thing to do.