Day 34: Rossford to Cleveland

It actually turned out to be a really good 127 mile ride.  We continue to be blessed with nice weather, except for the persistent easterly winds to which we have become accustomed - I can't remember what a tailwind actually feels like.  And the ride into downtown Cleveland was not near as bad as I had envisioned.

Our 60 miles before lunch were very nice with about 30 of the miles on bike paths.  I rode with a large group of 10-12 people at a comfortable 16-18mph pace.  I dropped back slightly just before lunch when we encountered a 6.6 mile stretch of gravel bike path.  The "thrill seekers" in the group (which seemed to be almost everyone) accelerated to 18-20mph while I felt proud of myself for maintaining 15mph.

The fun began after lunch when I joined up with Raimundas Cekanauskas ( he wisely goes by Rai).  Rai is a very interesting "mate" from a small town near Newcastle Australia.  He is a 56 year old truck mechanic and "renaissance man" who grew up in very humble surroundings as one of seven children of parents who immigrated from central Europe at the end of WWII.   He also happens to be a strong cyclist.  We took off from lunch a few minutes before the "pack" and decided to combine our talents for at least the beginning of the afternoon.  As stated, his talent is cycling - my talent happens to be navigating.  We agreed that if he "pulled" me through the worst of the headwinds, I would keep us from getting lost through the maze (see picture of turn-by-turn instructions) of turns facing us on our way into Cleveland.

We made a great team.  I rode strong behind his pull and we did not get lost; and we were the first to arrive at the hotel!  During portions of the ride when we were on bike paths, I had the opportunity to chat with Rai and came away very impressed - his many activities include building 1/4 scale cars; and "bridges" which he donates to wheelchair bound children to encourage them to get out of their chairs to cross the bridge.  It also appears he can fix almost anything mechanical.  

All but the final few blocks to our hotel were actually quite nice.  Almost 10 miles was through the very pretty Rocky River Reservation followed by a long stretch on Lake Ave which was lined on both sides with attractive homes.  The final mile was somewhat of a survival contest as we dodged buses and turning cars (whose drivers seemed oblivious to our presence) to make it to the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Cleveland.  The hotel is a little "tired" but will still provide a welcome rest day home.

Steve