DAY 46 of 54: JULY 16: HAMBURG (NY) TO CANANDAIGUA (NY)

Time Zone : Eastern (GMT -5)
Todays Distance: 101 miles
Cycling time: 6 hrs 42 mins
Average Speed: 15 mph

Today’s cumulative ascent: 4062 ft

Average Heart rate: 117 bpm

Distance so far: 3428 miles

Ascent so far: 109,157 feet.
Centuries so far: 13
Punctures so far: 9

Today’s Profile:

Today’s Route:
Dedication: Today’s cycle was for the good-natured children in Providence who come in early, stay late and sometimes appear on Saturdays when they see that there is something to be done and for James S and Kenny.


A good day’s cycling with one century and despite two flats and two thunderstorms.

PROVIDENCE [4] In the early years the school had no special name. Then in 2006 the staff reflected on the rationale of the school to decide on a name that would be meaningful. The school then (and still) had no constant source of funds but they always trusted that something would turn up and it did. ‘If God means the school to run, it will run’. Trust in Providence. And so it came to be.

As the early stages of today’s route was involved and an amount of construction and since a lot of us were going to the museum we tended to stick together for the first 7 miles. The morning looked promising and it should be another pleasant day; only a slight risk of rain.
After 7 miles a good number of us paid a visit to Pedaling History, a museum devoted to the story of the bicycle in America. There we had a guided tour following the development from the velocipede to pedal power, the penny-farthing (the Odrinary here in the US), systems of drive and suspension that in time were used in the automobile. Hundreds of bicycles were on show . he pointed out the impact that the bicycle had on travel, the demand for better roads, on fashion, on womens emancipation and on the car all in the final years of the 19th century. In all I spent an hour there and noted a book of cycle tours around Ireland that I have never seen at home.
The first thunderstorm appeared ahead of us at the 20 mile mark. We had no rain but I pulled into a gas station to let it move further to the north-east. No point in riding straight into it. Succeeded in being fast enough to capture a bolt of lightning.
After the first SAG, Cary from Trinidad (who joined us for the last section of the trip) cycled with me and we kept up a brisk pace to the second SAG. The only things that halted us was to view what has become a frequent type of roadkill in New York and some punctures.
Cary had one and I picked up one a little later. We’re getting fast at replacing tubes now. The hard shoulder on Route 20 today had a lot of tiny pieces of glass. A lot of flats reported with Larry (CO) picking up a total of five. All along the way the usual agricultural pursuits as on previous days was evident. I liked the houses with their own vegetable gardens. I'm sure my own at home is thriving. If it is...great. if it's not .... ah, well.
Near the end of the route did the few extra miles to make it a century (the scheduled distance was 96 miles) and went down by Canandaigua Lake (pronounced CANON-DAY-GOO-A). There are about ten of these narrow lakes known as the Finger Lakes as they run south/north like the outstretched fingers of two hands. Canandaigua lake is 16 miles long and formed as the result of glacial activity and is very deep. On its shores are all the water-based activities. I passed by the end of the lake and just as I came to a large shopping mall the second thunderstorm broke. I was glad of the shelter in the porch of Lowe’s.

I finally arrived at the hotel at 4.30 still dry. Some of those who skipped the museum had got the brunt of the first storm and some of those coming in late got the second one. I was lucky.
Inspecting the rear tyre when I got the puncture I thought it was about time to replace it. Three and a half thousand miles was good service. It felt just like tissue paper in the centre and only the kelvar strip was keeping the tube protected. I had brought a spare Armadillo and it took no time to change. However, when I returned to the room after dinner the front wheel was flat. I did find a sharp stone embedded in the tyre and that has to be replaced before turning in tonight. Not much time to admire the view from my window.

Enjoyed today’s cycle. The route wasn’t very scenic and there was plenty of climbing to keep one on his toes. Should see more of the Finger lakes tomorrow.
Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.