Category: TransAm 2017

Day 21: 14 Miles

Louisville, KY to Louisville, KY

I woke up this morning to find a large storm passing through the area. I had a rest day planned, but probably would have skipped riding today anyway because the rain was strong at times. Louisville is the last major city on my route for a while and there were a few more things I wanted to see before I got out of town. My hotel last night was a few miles north and east of the downtown area. I decided to switch hotels today to get myself further south with an easier exit route out of the city tomorrow. That meant I’d have to get on my bike today for a short ride. I waited as late as I could for the rain to die down but that never really happened.

Read More

Day 18: 43 Miles

Mason, OH to Lawrenceburg, IN

This is going to be a quick post today. Not much to report from today’s ride. I knew the weather was not going to be great this morning, so I scheduled a short ride and slept in today. This also meant I got to enjoy the bar a little longer last night. The bar I was at had a strange vibe to it. By 11:00 there was a bachelor party on their way to being very drunk, a bunch of 4 year old girls dancing on the dance floor, and a DJ playing music wildly inappropriate for those children to be dancing to. I guess it was take your kid to the bar night? I’m not sure what was going on, but I did get to try some new beers from Rhinegeist, a brewery based in Cincinnati, so that made the trip to the bar worth it.

Read More

Day 17: 90 Miles

Columbus, OH to Mason, OH

Today was my longest day by far in terms of mileage but it wasn’t without some problems along the way. Ohio has an amazing system of bike trails and today I would be traveling exclusively on bike trail from Columbus to the outskirts of Cincinnati. I knew the route was perfectly flat and if things went to plan I’d have no trouble completing 90 miles

Read More

Day 16: 12 Miles

Columbus, OH to Columbus, OH

Today was a planned rest day. I’ve now been on the road 2 weeks and have covered over 700 miles. My legs were ready for a day off. I actually can’t believe I’ve made it this far already. The first few days of this trip were brutal. I was stuck in the rain and cold for 2 days and then got attacked by a dog. At that point Pittsburgh seemed far away, but I’ve blown past there and have already made it a good chunk of the way through Ohio. Camping the last two nights was a good experience, but I was ready to be back in a city to relax for a couple of days.

Read More

Day 14: 49 Miles

Kimbolton, OH to Nashport, OH

Last night’s camping adventure at Salt Fork State Park worked out decently. It didn’t really feel much like camping given I had a warm shower and spent the night watching Netflix. I did sleep in a tent, so we’re getting closer to the full outdoor experience. In the morning I found out it takes way longer to pack up a campsite than to set it up. Everything had been nicely packed at home and trying to replicate that while the tent was wet with dew made things difficult.

Read More

Day 13: 61 Miles

Steubenville, OH to Kimbolton, OH

I spent last night at the bar next to the motel watching some NBA playoff basketball. I think I was the only person there not watching the Penguins game. I also noticed very quickly that people’s accents have changed far quicker than the scenery. Since leaving State College most of the scenery has looked pretty similar, but all of a sudden I had walked into a bar where everyone had a certain twang to their speech.

Read More

Day 12: 41 Miles

McMurray, PA to Steubenville, OH

I woke up this morning feeling well rested and ready to hit the road. Today was going to be a short and easy day which is just what I needed after the 75 miles yesterday. My friend Danny had already left for work by the time I woke up, but Danny’s wife Megan was there to make sure I had everything I needed while she also expertly looked after 3 kids.

Read More

Day 10: 57 Miles

Altoona, PA to Blairsville, PA

I woke up this morning to a light rain and temperatures in the low 40s. Not the most inviting weather for a bike ride, but I had a big climb to start the day and wanted to get it done before lunch. I got out the door pretty quickly, wearing long tights, a rain jacket and gloves once again. It was about a mile on a major road to get out of Altoona, and then I’d be climbing for the next couple of hours.

Read More

Day 8: 0 Miles

The forecast for today was rain all day and temperature in the low 50s. Having dealt with similar weather twice already, I decided to sit this one out. I extended my stay in State College by one night and will pick this trip back up tomorrow. Today was used to plan some changes to my route which should make the rest of my time in Pennsylvania a bit easier. I also enjoyed resting my legs, finishing a book and watching some Netflix.

Read More