Petoskey to Elk Rapids
54 miles / 1545ft climb
A much hillier day than we have been used to of late and I was thrilled that my legs remembered how to power me up them.
Leaving Petoskey on a lovely bike trail, we had the best of all worlds. Shade from the sun and the wind.
Intermittent stretches of trail along the lakeshore. An easy, comfortable tarmac surface to ride along and no traffic unless we count the occasional runner or dog walker.
Stopping in Charlevoix in search of the elusive mirror to replace the broken one on Paul’s bike, we found a bustling market in full swing so stopped to enjoy a cake and coffee stop by the harbour. No luck with the bike mirror, an accessory that is proving no easier to source than John’s gear shifter replacement! Thankfully John’s repair is still holding good despite being put to the test on today’s hills.
A few more miles of bike trail and a great lunch stop at a lovely roadside restaurant.
With our stretch on the bike trail ended, we took to the highway. However, after a few miles we all felt it was too busy and too fast for us to safely negotiate the narrow hard shoulder. Finding a hillier but much quieter alternative made the last 20 miles much more pleasant than they would have been on the highway. Yet again, we are incredulous that these highways are marked as bike trails and are the recommended Adventure Cycle Association routes!
Our accommodation this evening is the lovely Lakeside Inn a few short miles beyond the bustling main streets of Elk Rapids where the Harbour Festival was attracting crowds of locals and tourists alike. A short bike ride back to this bustling area in the evening to refuel at a busy bar. A Michigan cider to ease down a spicy chicken jambalaya and I’m suitably refreshed and refuelled and ready to repeat tomorrow.
Challenging Times 
Well done on the hills.Your average speed on Strava is very impressive. 👏