Day 27: St. Joseph to Chillicothe MO

Chuck, Michael and I rolled out again at 7am this morning.  Because morning fog was fairly thick at that time and because we were still a bit weary from the difficult riding the last two days, our pace was easy and steady.  There was no rush anyway.  Our Special SAG stop was to be in Maysville at Mile 31 where a group of townsfolk have traditionally laid out a welcoming spread of sandwiches, fruit, cinnamon rolls, and lemonade.  Because of the unique nature of this annual gathering, CrossRoads wanted us to wear our CrossRoads jerseys and for us all to ride into town together.

The fog is still significant at Mile 12, but it was much thicker earlier.  Note the 60 mph speed limit and
limited paved shoulder.  Flashing rear blinker lights are standard operating procedure for
all routes at all times, but  were an absolute  necessity for these conditions.

Approaching Maysville at Mile 31.  The fog has dissipated by this time.

We were welcomed warmly.
This was the 19th year of this welcoming reception for CrossRoads riders.

The friendly  lady who started it all 19 years ago.

Lawrence "ensured things ran smoothly".   

These welcoming ladies urged us to "take as much as you want".

Dekalb County Courthouse in the center of the town square.

Our time in Mayville seemed like a step back in time.  The town was clean with well-preserved original buildings.  The townsfolk were warm, friendly, and welcomed us with open arms.  The public square downtown is a classic icon of small town America.   As a group, we probably spent at least 40 minutes at this SAG stop which is at least twice as long as most of us would normally stay.  Still, it felt like we rushed off without spending time commensurate with the warmth received.  Mayville is not unlike other small towns on our CrossRoads routes.  There are towns in every state that seemed to capture my interest, gently urging me to stay awhile, and feed my spirit.  I'm sure I'm not the only rider who has thought "I'd like to return to this town some day".

Now, speaking of Time, our post-Mayville route seemed to progress rather slowly.  One rider felt it was the cinnamon buns and long time spent in Mayville.  A couple suggested it was the high humidity, easily 80%+ RH.  A few said the heat was "getting to them". And nearly everyone talked about the hills -- lots of them. with grades 9-12%.  I'd call them rollers, but for the fact that I don't recall rolling all that well.  It might be more accurate to call them "strainers".  I suspect it was a combination of all.

Initially the hills were infrequent and civil, conquered with low gears to spare.  But the heat and humidity were now taking their toll on most everyone.  Every rider at our Mile 70 SAG stop in Lock Springs was long-faced and road-weary, complete with slumped shoulders and dazed facial expressions.  We were beat up and knew that the hot, humid, muscle searing beatings would continue.

Just past the SAG stop was a memorial for Jerry Litton,  a US House Representative,
who grew up in tiny Lock Springs, MO (population 57, in 2010).
(Thanks Geoffrey)

Once past the memorial to Representative Litton, the road got nasty in a hurry.  Miles 72-83 were a roller coaster series of hills, some overcome with only moderate difficulty, others with 9-12% grades taking every available gear and leg muscle fiber.  Riding this terrain is a cyclist's dream when the legs are fresh, but is an arduous chore when they are not.

Miles 72-83 looked like this continually.

The final 3 miles into and through Chillicothe were uneventful for the main reason that they didn't consist of hills.   Although these final miles were spent doing battle on a busy main highway at 3pm on Friday, the effort paled in comparison to what had just brought us to that point. 

 Although "Birthplace of Commercially Available Sliced Bread" is the accurate phrase, I guess it never caught on.

CrossRoads Day 27 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
St Joseph to Chillicothe MO

Tomorrow (actually today again) we ride 75 miles to Kirksville, MO.  We were told we have 146 more of these hills with limited services between SAG stops.  It might get messy.