I really wasn’t sure how far I would get today. The miles since my last break were really wearing on me. On the other hand, it was just about a perfect day for riding. The temperature stayed low and was almost chilly in the morning. There was a slight wind coming from the east that would give me a little boost. I divided the day into three parts, 22 miles from Lincoln to Seward, 26 miles from Seward to York and 22 miles from York to Aurora. I figured, even though I was tired, I could at least get to York. If I could get to Aurora, which would be 70 miles, that would leave me with a very short day on Sunday.

Shortly after I left Lincoln, it started to rain. It was a pretty light rain. It looked like the heaviest went to the south of me. I continued riding, hoping it wouldn’t last long. After about an hour, however, the combination of rain and hills with my short temper got to me and I found a tree to wait under until the rain stopped. As I approached Seward, the hills flattened out as well giving me hope the afternoon would be a more pleasant ride.

Between Seward and York, I took a short break in Utica. As I approached the town, my first thought was the subway announcement for my stop in Brooklyn, “This is Crown Heights-Utica Avenue.” I wonder how many thousands of times I have heard that announcement over the past dozen years.

With the flat terrain and tailwind, I made it to York by about 3:00. I felt pretty good, so pushed on to Aurora. I began thinking that if I got to Aurora by 6:00, I might be able to ride the last 17 miles to Central City before sunset, even if I rode slowly and took a break every few miles. I ended up in Aurora at about 5:30. By then, the wind had shifted and was mostly coming from the south. After a break, I decided to push on the final 17 miles.

I will be visiting family for a few days, so I don’t know if I will update the blog during that time.