Today was “The Test”

                Today we traveled from Rural Retreat to Rosedale VA, an 80 mile ride through beautiful Mount Rogers National Park down into Damascus VA with more than its fair share of “ups and downs.” In Damascus a great friend of ours we met on the first day, Pepper, hooked the whole team up with 30% off everything in his outdoors store and also became an official team member when he agreed to sponsor next year’s team. After a huge (possibly too huge) pizza dinner in Damascus we set off to finish the last 30 miles of the day, only, in order to finish the day we had to cross Hayter’s Gap.

                Hayter’s Gap is one of the first things I heard about in respect to the trans-america tour, and what I heard about it was that it was THE hardest part of the entire trip.  Although we will climb the Rockies in a matter of weeks and cross Monarch Pass at over 10,000 ft above sea level, Hayter’s Gap is a brutal 6 mile climb with an average of around an 11% grade. This test that I have been talking so much about, was Hayter’s Gap.

                Taking a gel before the climb, and trying to tell my stomach to digest the massive amount of pizza it was filled with faster, I began the ascent in the 80 degree 100% humidity cloud that we were in.  All day, and in fact for several days prior, I had been psyching myself out in my head for this particular climb making it sound to myself like it would be the worst experience in my life so that, inevitably, when it was finished I would be pleasantly surprised.  My plan succeeded, however only by a little.  The climb started and it never stopped, switchback after switchback of constant relentless uphill seemed to never stop, but when I saw the van parked at the summit I cranked it into a high gear and grinded up to the finish.  We all waited and cheered on our fellow riders as they finished the last 300 yards or so of their ascent, then for a fantastic descent into Rosedale for a night in a church.

                According to most, that day is the hardest of the whole trip, so last night I fell asleep (very quickly) thinking that the hardest is over.  There is an amazing sense of accomplishment looking down a mountain and thinking “I rode my bike from all the way down there,” this is what makes the pain worth it.  However hard it may have been along the way, I never once thought of stopping and taking a break, I never once thought of quitting and calling for the van, and I never once thought I couldn’t do it. This was by far the hardest of maybe two challenges of the trip thus far, and knowing that I climbed 4,000 feet of elevation in 6 miles without stopping gives me the feeling I can do anything.  However, I’m sure Kentucky will test that feeling.

                Taking a rest at Break Interstate Park, eating ridiculous amounts of country fried steak and cornbread, overlooking an amazing view. Today marks our last day in Virginia, one state down.