I woke up to an overcast and drizzling day. I got on the road just after “sunrise”... which I never saw. It was overcast almost the entire day and it was on and off rain for the majority of the day as well. That being said, temperatures were perfect and there was very little wind, which was really nice.

I am definitely back into the mountains and twisty, turny terrain. A couple of hours into the ride I realized I had not eaten or drinken anything and that is because you are constantly either climbing – and in and out of the saddle – or descending and turning through the mountains. With the extra elevation gain, my legs were definitely tired… But this terrain was really magnificent riding. It is engaging and fun and really pretty. I was thinking back to my triathlon days and training with my coach Matt Dixon and the resident bike expert, Paul. He taught me a lot about how to use the terrain to my advantage and I was doing my best to do that today.

The fall colors are just starting to happen here so there is some color out there which gives it an extra glow.

I rode 58 miles to Brookville and had lunch there. Plan was to ride to DuBois, Pennsylvania which was just about 100 miles. But my energy was up today and the riding was fun so I decided to ride a little further to Clearfield, PA… Another 20 miles down the road. All said and done, I rode 118 miles and over 8500 feet of vertical today!

However, I have been having a little trouble shifting and in particular getting into my easiest gear, which is not ideal in this terrain. Also, after the rain stopped and things dried out, so did my chain and gears and things were not sounding or feeling good at all. I stopped in DuBois to a bike shop, Planet Bikes, and a very nice gentleman Jim fixed me up good for the remaining miles.

We are staying in a bed-and-breakfast this evening here in Clearfield but it will be another early start tomorrow. Only a few more days to New York!