Off Track But En Route

Day 3

Headed out of the campsite towards the city of Windsor Locks Ct, along some flatter country roads, which were a welcomed reprieve from our previous days and the mornings leg testing hills. The CVS/Subway combination was used to the best of its services for nourishment and tube replacement. A second flat of my rear tire has initiated me to cover the tube in Talc, in the hopes of reducing friction. A flat later in the day while crossing the INSERT reservoir was pumped up before heading down hill, which was about the worst decision I have made thus far on the trip. If you can imagine how your bike rides with a flat unloaded, think about throwing 40 pounds or so extra on the rear wheel and adding a trailer that likes nothing more than to pull your limping steed from side to side, making your rear tire feel more like walking on an under-inflated yoga ball than carving a turn on iron rails.

After the second flat change of the day and the longest hill of the trip thus far, the realization that we would not make our days goal, began to set in. We lightly discussed the options and generally hoped for the best, but the lost time and quality of the hills were too much to ensure that we would arrive before dark. The decision was made at about 5:30pm in Winsted, Ct to forgo the final 7miles of the day and look for a hotel to rest and re-plan the ride.

We decided to skip the western jaunt of our CT/NY/NJ route to head south towards Bridgeport and the Port Jefferson Long Island ferry. This will allow us to arrive in Brooklyn a few days before the show and allow us to reduce our daily ride miles from 50+ to just under 40miles. A route was mapped, sandwiches and pizza were consumed and sound sleep was had as best as possible.