June 4, 2024
I Thought This Was a Valley - Troutville to Christiansburg
I didn’t sleep well last night, probably because I washed down my Subway (the closest place to the hotel) meatball sandwich with a 24 ounce beer.
I did myself proud at the breakfast bar, finishing with two apples and two bananas for the road.
I rode on a local highway to get back to the route, stopping at a Kroger on the way. I picked up some Bel Vita cookies and some flatbread having eaten my tortillas back in Lexington. (Peanut butter on compact bread is the way to go.)
The temperature was already in the 70s so I knew I was in for a warm day.
Back on the road I took Catawba Road west towards Gravelly Ridge. After ten miles I stopped to eat an apple and banana. The two-lane country road was busy with dump trucks. I heard a massive explosion in the distance. Soon I passed Roanoke Cement, the mining company that blows up mountains and processes the rocks (and coal, apparently).
After the mine, I encountered sawtooth terrain, one short, steep hill after another. Combined with the increasing heat, these hills were beating up my legs and my mental state. I pushed The Mule over the top of three of them, all the while thinking how will I ever do the truly big climbs head?
The road surface wasn’t helping. An especially bad part was the descent to a creek bridge full of huge potholes.
I crossed into Montgomery County and the road leveled out. Even better I hit a five-mile section of new asphalt. I stopped for a quick snack before attacking the last third of the day’s miles.
The skies behind me were darkening as a scary looking cloud formation, flat and dark, came over the ridge to my left.
I started to look for shelter as I rode. That porch looks okay. That barn will work. But I kept pedaling, now with slightly cooler temperatures and a strong tailwind. My body and mind were feeling much better.
I knew from the elevation profile in my maps that the ride climbs 500 feet in only a few miles just before the finish. I stopped in the town of Ellett to fortify myself with Gatorade and ice cream at a CSCS.
About two miles later the climb began. I’d ride until my heart and respiratory rates were maxing out. After a few minutes of rest, I’d get back to work. The third time I did this I was weak in the legs, making restarting dangerous; I could wobble in front of a car or into the ditch next to the road.
I pushed The Mule up around a bend and there was the top at last. As it turns out, Christiansburg is at 2,000 feet of elevation.
Once into Christiansburg, I rode to nearby I-81 where my hotel is located. The front desk clerk informed me that it was 89 degrees outside.
As I’m writing this a classic summer thunderstorm erupted outside.
Tomorrow is a short mileage day to a highly recommended Warmshowers host in Draper. They won’t be ready for me until 4 p.m. so I planning on sleeping in.
Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 545 miles (877 km)
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