Navy - Notre Dame Connection is Strong

Today we rode 75 miles from South Bend to Angola, Indiana. We climbed 1,873 feet. 

A very mixed bag of riding today. We had a lazy 0900 start from the campus of Notre Dame, with local news coverage and some friends from the area out to wish us well. We had police and fire department escort out of town, our longest yet at 9.5 miles. These escorts help a lot, as they get us through traffic safely and save us time in the morning. We especially appreciated the help today as navigating South Bend's streets was tricky on the way in. The early part of the ride took us through some urban areas and strip malls as we made our way to the countryside. We had a few more bike path miles on the PumpkinVine Nature Trail (www.pumpkinvine.org) before our final stretch of roadway that took us through beautiful countryside. We had some Iowa flashbacks as the route got hilly with a lot of short climbs and descents. We had threatening skies by the end of the ride and we rode hard to avoid the storm that never happened. We got some light sprinkles, but no rain to speak of. We ended the day in the usual fashion-unload the truck, check in, hot shower. Dinner in the hotel breakfast area courtesy of the "Best SAG Team Ever."

We have picked up a few new riders and had some riders return. During the middle of the trip our numbers got to their lowest, with only 13 or 14 riders some days. As we continue east we will receive more returnees as well as some newcomers; we look forward to reconnecting with friends and classmates. We've made short work of Indiana...on to Ohio tomorrow.

Ten days...

Tomorrow we will ride from Angola, Indiana to Perrysburg, Ohio. We will cycle 85 miles and climb 1,400 feet. 

Totals to Date

Miles: 2,557

Elevation Gain: 80,096

Flat Tires: 45

States crossed: 7

Centuries: 7

Dog bites: 1