June 11, 2006
Day 10: Damascus, VA to Breaks, VA
78.26 miles, 6:51:23 Ride Time, 11.62 Average Speed, 40.1 Maximum Speed
I knew that today's ride to Breaks, on the Virginia-Kentucky border, was going to be tough - I've read in other journals that some people do this in two days, not one. I got everything packed, ate my last Little Debbie cake for breakfast, and was riding out of Damascus by 7:00.
The ride from Damascus to Meadowview and then on to Hayters Gap was uneventful. I could see on my map that I had to cross Clinch Mountain, but I hadn't heard any horror stories (as I had about "Big A" mountain later on the route), so I was surprised to find that it was by far the hardest climb yet - three curvy miles, switchback after switchback. I averaged about 5 mph all the way up, and stopped twice to rest. I was soaked with sweat at the top, even though it was still fairly early and not that hot or sunny yet. The descent was too curvy to really be enjoyable - I had to ride the brakes most of the time.
The sun was out now, and it was getting hot on the way to Rosedale. I stopped at a service station there for a late breakfast - two sausage biscuits and gatorade. I saw a sign that said it was 44 miles to Breaks. As has been noted elsewhere, things begin to change (for the worse) when you leave Rosedale and head Northwest on Highway 80. The traffic got worse (lots of engine-revving pickup truck drivers), there was more trash along the road, and the mountains seemed to close in - I could tell I was getting closer to Eastern Kentucky.
I rode through Honaker, and headed up the infamous "Big A" mountain. I actually didn't think it was as bad as Clinch Mountain (at least there were a few flat spots), but the traffic and heat were worse, and I was getting tired. I stopped a few times on the way up. My reward for reaching the top was not a country store in the shade, but a used car dealership.
The descent down "Big A" was enjoyable. The little town of Council had a surprisingly pretty, well-maintained park, but I didn't stop - It seemed to be taking me forever to get to Breaks. I passed large round mirrors along this stretch - presumably to help drivers when entering the curvy road. I stopped at one of them to take a self-portrait, when another cyclist coming the other direction pulled up. It was Gary from Wilmington, Ohio, riding across the country from San Francisco. He had the most unusual set-up I've seen so far: A mountain bike (with touring tires), two front panniers, and a small handlebar bag. We talked a while, then I rode on.
I rode through Davenport, Bee, and Birchleaf before stopping at Haysi. This was an easy ride, mostly along Priest Fork. I stopped at Haysi at a rather decrepit "supermarket" that smelled funny, and didn't have any cold gatorade. The landscape had changed dramatically in the last few hours - it seemed a long time since I had ridden by any fields or farmland.
I was now about 15 miles from Breaks, and it was mostly uphill, the last big climb of the day. I stayed in the granny gear most of the way. It rained intermittently, although not really enough to be miserable. I had my first encounters of the trip with rude, yelling drivers while I climbed up to Breaks Interstate Park.
I pulled into the park and paid a dollar at the gate to ride in. After one more climb to get to the lodge, I was relieved to find that they had a vacancy. The room was surprisingly nice and reasonably priced.
This was the toughest day of the trip so far. The second half of the day was the only truly unpleasant part of the trip so far (except possibly for the end of the first day, when I had trouble finding my motel).
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Today's ride: 78 miles (126 km)
Total: 615 miles (990 km)
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