28 May 2012

Christianburg to Wytheville VA 54 miles  (TransAm 440)

“Not the best day on the TransAm.” A direct quote from Gina, and sadly, it stems from Mike B having taken a terrible spill today, effectively ending his TransAm ride. Thankfully, Mike will be okay – you can read his first-hand account of the accident here – but it’s really a terrible shame that his trip ended so soon. He will be missed by his fellow TransAmmers and bloggers alike. Apparently the Universe shook loose one of my safe harbor pins; let’s hope the big U is done messing with my map.

The news of Mike’s tumble was ironically received during the best break of the day: a stop at a McDonald’s en-route. I can’t help but wonder if stopping there was Gina’s idea, seeing how the Golden Arches is far too frequently a beacon of irresistible hope when we’ve been cycling in foreign lands. I bet her front wheel headed straight for it like a magnet to the fridge. “I’ll take two cheeseburgers, one large fry, and a large Coke with extra ice, please.” (No doubt followed ten minutes later by a swirly Soft Serve.) Now normally that second cheeseburger is for me but when you’re on pace to finish crossing an entire state by bicycle in 11 days of riding, I think the few extra calories won’t hurt.

I’ve been watching the calories myself, watching them multiply over the holiday weekend. It’s special occasions like these, when picnics and BBQs are in order and the Buy One Get One Free tags are decorating the store shelves like sparkly baubles on a Christmas tree that I allow myself the purchase of a bag of chips. This bag is to be spread out across the holiday weekend, but that would require that I fix something else for lunch and dinner. Not a likely scenario when there’s a bag of chips around. I bet if I pedaled my way to Spokane by Friday I could justify enjoying another bag.