Cumberland, Maryland

Woke up this morning and I was fairly excited to get on the bike and start climbing the mountains that we faced to our east. We woke up at 6:00 and got ready for a long day on the bike. Lately we have had great sponsorship so we haven’t had to eat crew chief breakfasts but this morning Mark had the table set up outside with bagels and cereal like we saw a lot in the beginning of the summer. The team also got a treat this morning for breakfast; the delicious bread my mother makes that I picked up from my aunt when we were in Pennsylvania. Everyone loved it, and I am pretty sure some guys took loaves on the bike with them today so they could eat it while riding.

After eating we did our morning circle up and talked about some of the amazing relationships we have made this summer, and vowed to ride for them today as we climbed our way into Cumberland. I rode today with two TCU boys, Michael and Blake and earlier in the summer when we rode together we named our pace line the Pine Trees. Today the Pine Trees were back in action and although they were a little more ready than me, we were pumped for the terrain that was to come. We left lodging and within 5 miles we started climbing the steepest hill I have seen this entire trip. It was close to a 5 mile hill and by the time I got to the top of it I was sweating bullets. The good thing about most uphills though is that usually you are able to go down after climbing up them. Some of the downhills we saw today were monstrous, and I know a lot of our guys reached their own personal top speeds of the trip today. At mile 30 we crossed the Maryland state line and for the next 10 miles or so I couldn’t help but think of what was going to happen in the next couple of days. Between my last friendship visit, arriving in D.C., seeing my family, and saying bye to 34 of the greatest guys I have ever met, I know things are going to get emotional. My train of thought quickly left me though when we started climbing again, and the only thing I could concentrate on was how bad the mountains suck but also how fortunate I was to be in this position. Whenever I get tired I just think of everyone I am riding for, the abilities of all people, and with that little extra push I got over every mountain of the ride. 

Greatest thing I saw all day

The Pine Trees at the Maryland State Line 

5 hours after starting we arrived in Cumberland at the YMCA where we are staying the night. We had close to 3 hours before we had to leave lodging to go to dinner so I laid down and took a nap for about an hour and a half. I woke up a little bit before we had to leave and looked around the room and 90% of the team was passed out. The ride today kicked everyone’s butt just like it did mine and I could tell every one was enjoying the time to rest. I got up and got dressed in my team tux and we made our way to a near by park to have dinner. Our sponsor is part of the Rotary Club of Cumberland, and along with some of the other Rotarians they set up a great meal for us. After a long ride I was so excited to eat a big meal and we got just that with hamburgers, fried chicken, beans, and fried ice cream! The desert was absolutely phenomenal and I had two servings of the ice cream while using the motive that is was alright because I worked hard on the bike today.

Once we did our introductions and said our goodbyes we went back to lodging where we are staying for the remainder of the night. We were in a pretty small area together which was nice because it gave everyone the opportunity to spend time with each other, and also while there we had a little team activity. Really reminded me of how much I love my team. The forecast is showing rain tonight and into tomorrow so hopefully it wont be to bad so that we can ride into Hagerstown, rather than getting racked because of the weather. I look forward to another great day in the life of a JOH cyclist tomorrow!