Day 10 - Riding the Kancamagus
Day 10 - Lincoln to Conway, NH - 36 miles - 2,220 ft of elevation gain
Our hotel in Lincoln did not provide breakfast, so we had an assortment of cereal, fruit, and muffins from the trailer set up in the parking lot. Once we finished breakfast and packed everything up, we slowly rolled out of the parking lot. There was a looming mountain climb ahead of us.
Today was a short ride, but a serious ride with a major climb of over 2,000 ft. We turned the corner onto the Kancamagus Hwy and my bike computer registered the hill climb almost right away. It was 12 miles of climbing to 2,855 ft above sea level from about 900 ft. My legs were already feeling the climbing from yesterday, so they were not super excited about climbing again today (and I think others were with me). Everyone set their own pace to the top. It wasn’t as steep as yesterday (at least in total), but it definitely had me perspiring. If I was carrying any water weight, I think it’s gone now! The final 4 miles were the steepest, and by the end I was keeping one eye closed due to the water expelling from my forehead.
We convened for a photo at the top vista spot. I chatted with a couple from Virginia and it turns out they are from Harrisonburg, so we played the Mennonite game and had we had more time I’m sure we could have found a connection (they were Mennonites and I attended Lancaster Mennonite High School and have Mennonite relatives - so I can play the game). Any way, we took our pictures and then got back on the bike for the final .3 miles to the top for another picture by the sign.
Once the pictures were over it was time for the fun part of the ride… the downhill! Again everyone went their desired speed. Below is a video of a portion of my ride (the speed may be off, because my bike computer max’d out at 45 mph). It was a fun descent, but not quite as fun as yesterday’s final ride down the mountain.
Near the bottom we stopped to play in the river. There is a place called Lower Falls, with a parking lot to allow people to swim. The water was cold, but refreshing and definitely good for the muscles. The best part was sitting under the small water falls and letting the water pound on the shoulder muscles. After playing for a while, we got lunch out of the trailer and ate at a picnic table in the trees. The bees and a chipmunk were so glad to see us.
After lunch, we changed and got back on the bike for the final 8 miles to the hotel. We arrived at the hotel and shortly afterwards there was a brief shower. I washed my bike, then we did laundry, super fun stuff! We dined, came back to the hotel for devotions, and then walked for ice cream. Biking certainly makes you work up an appetite!
Tomorrow is a long day and with some good climbing, yipee! Only 4 more ride days to reach our goal!
