Cycle Across America – Day 90

Pittsford to Newark

28 Miles / 190ft climb

We picked our bikes up at midday, mended, sparkly new parts, clean and riding like new. Within a few miles on the canal path today, they were dusty and dirty but they still rode like new bikes and it is a great feeling to know that they should now be robust enough to get us to the Atlantic Coast.

Kevin and the team at Towpath Bikes in Pittsford were fantastic in servicing our bikes, replacing worn and broken parts and having our bikes ready so that at least we could manage a half day of cycling today.

We had boarded the bus with our pannier bags to take them to the bike shop, so that we could set off from there avoiding the time and stress of having to cycle to and fro along an extremely busy section of road. We exited the bus a stop too early and were lugging our heavy panniers along with us when a Good Samaritan in the form of Jared stopped and offered us a lift. We loaded his boot with our panniers and squeezed in the car alongside his two young daughters in their car seats as he turned the car around and took us to the bike shop, in the opposite direction to that which he had been travelling. Yet another friendly, generous gesture from a complete stranger. Thank you, Jared.

What a lovely half day of cycling it was. Extremely hot but with plenty of shade from the trees. With only 28 miles planned, the pressure was off.

We meandered along the gravelly path alongside the canal and occasionally left it to cross a road or the canal itself. The path was noticeably busier today but it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and the draw was evident for more cyclists than we have seen for the rest of the 13 weeks of our adventure put together.

The path was once again, thoroughly enjoyable and a beautiful backdrop for our ride. It was incredibly dusty today and we arrived at our hotel with our bikes, panniers and ourselves covered in a film of grey dirt.

We spent the late afternoon and early evening discussing route options for the remainder of our adventure. So much choice, so little time!

We are currently in Newark, New York State, around the 4,000 mile mark. So close to our destination along the Atlantic Coast. In fact, the most direct route seems to be only 400 miles away but that leaves us just short of the 4,500 miles we committed to, so we will wiggle our way there!

We booked accommodation for the next two nights and then went out in hunt of some good food to replenish our calorie deficits. We were in luck this evening and found a lovely restaurant where we both enjoyed a healthy and very filling meal.

We are planning an earlier start tomorrow to try complete the majority of our 50 mile ride before the afternoon temperatures reach their peak. We’ll see……the best laid plans and all that!