DAY 45 of 54: JULY 15: ERIE (PA) TO HAMBURG (NY)

Time Zone : Eastern (GMT -5)
Todays Distance: 82 miles
Cycling time: 5 hrs 19 mins
Average Speed: 15.3 mph

Today’s cumulative ascent: 1964 ft

Average Heart rate: 120 bpm

Distance so far: 3327 miles
Ascent so far: 105,095 feet.
Centuries so far: 12
Punctures so far: 7

Today’s Profile:

Today’s Route:
Dedication: Today’s cycle is for all the children in Providence including Barisha, Markor,Akas and Isaac who honoured us (Abbey students and teachers) by inviting us to their homes last Oct/Nov. Thank you kindly.

First day back in the saddle after our final Rest Day. Felt good. A short day after the run of centuries and a new state.

Providence[3] Most of the pupils walk long journeys to and from Providence each day in all kinds of weather (including monsoon) along roads and paths that are busy and far from pedestrian friendly. Often footwear is flimsy and when necessary towels and dry clothes are provided when they arrive.

At 7.30 am as Erie was well awake and on the move we cycled eastward along the southern shore of Lake Erie. Erie (pop 200,000) is in the industrial rust-belt but is now turning to tourism. It is twinned with Dungarvan – Molly Brannigan’s may have had something to do with that! It was good to be back in harness again for the final section – the Eastern States. But also a need for greater concentration. Would be tragic if something happened at this stage. Most mountain accidents happen on the way down. The trip is not finished at the summit but when back home safely. Weather was pleasant all day with a very slight headwind but the heat never became overpowering.
Still plenty of grapes growing on both sides of the road. Gary (CA) was throwing an expert eye on the crop and explaining the growing process. Tractors were out trimming the sides of the vines to allow the grapes to get the sunlight better. The vines were with us all day.
Again I started at my own pace but joined in with two different groups for periods of the day. Two more from Trinidad have joined us for this last section to Portsmouth. From the SAG till the end I pushed on at a good strong pace.
Punctures were a feature of the day again but, thankfully, I escaped. Actually, my front wheel was almost flat at loading time but it got a full 100 lbs pressure and was operational for the day. Perhaps the valve was just taking a Rest Day like myself and released a little pressure. John (LA) who joined us in Indianapolis had three flats before the SAG. I’ve heard of two others also, one had a nail through the tyre, the tube and the steel rim. If there’s any good place to have to replace a tube, it must be beside a field of grapes.
Although we cycled for the day along the southern edge of Lake Erie it wasn’t always in view. It was a field or two away or just appearing through the trees occasionally. To look at , it was like looking out from the east coast of Ireland. Nothing to be seen but the flat horizon. It is 50 miles wide just like Ireland to Wales. Today it was perfectly calm but in winter it freezes over when day temperatures scarcely exceed –15C. The fact that it is relatively shallow (average of 62 feet) contributes to this. In winter when the cold north winds blow over the warm waters it results in lake-effect snow in Buffalo and the south shore. In winter 2007/2008 this area had 3 metres of snow.
At twenty miles we came to the stateline with New York. Another state and very few left. All groups stopped for the compulsory photo and I was with a group of 6 at that stage. New York state is almost double the size of Ireland in size and is the largest producer of cabbage in the USA. These things are important to know. All except the greater New York City metropolitan area is referred to as Upstate and our route will be across the upper end of that roughly following the course of the Erie Canal.
One could get geographically confused with the names of places on the route or near the route. What part of the world are we in? Names like Dunkirk, Barcelona, Angola, Boston, Versailles, Hamburg and tomorrow there is a list of more familiar placenames. At Barcelona Harbour we had the opportunity to go down to a pier on the lakeshore. It looked so pleasant and peaceful. There were other signposts that caught my eye.

Along the road I saw so many premises offering duty-free cigarettes and gas. Gas at $3.99. I went into a gas station/truck stop to look for post-cards but the whole shop apart from the check-out was just cigarettes from floor to ceiling in cartons. And we were not exactly on the Canadian border. Afterwards I found out that this was an Indian reservation and duties are not charged there on the mentioned commodities. . That’s the place to stock up. For the last week I am finding it impossible to find postcards. In the early weeks every convenience store and gas station had a good selection. Tried in stores around the motel this evening with no luck (‘Maybe, you could try Niagara Falls’ it was suggested in one.) I asked at reception and no luck either. But just a while ago I found some pushed under my door from the motel reception. Nice.


I arrived at the motel at an early 2 pm in Hamburg. Hamburg is on the southern edge of Buffalo. Buffalo Wings i.e. chicken wings prepared with a vinegar based cayenne pepper sauce are so-called as they originated here in the Anchor Bar in 1964 as a quick mid-night snack. Buffalo thrived with the construction of the Erie Canal which linked the Hudson River with the Great lakes above the Niagara Falls.
After today’s cycle I noticed some play in the rear hub and was worried. At Mech Time (today from 5 till 6 when Gerard the mechanic is available for repairs etc) he whipped off the cassette and exposed the bearings in a flash. Sufficient grease all right but bearings are not seated perfectly. Also the evidence of quite an amount of moisture. More grease applied, reassembled and it’s sound as a rock just now. Wouldn’t want anything to go wrong with RW PACAT at this stage (or at any stage)
At Route rap this evening just before details of tomorrow’s route we had the presentation of prizes for July 4th decorations. 1st to Richard Walsh for an exquisite ensemble and he wore it all day. And I received my Faded Glory Tee-shirt. And don’t I look good in it!

A lovely day to be out cycling and both terrain and weather conditions were perfect. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.

Heard Today: From another cyclist after the announcement of prizes “Well, there was always only going to be one winner there”