5/19/23 – Windsor Locks, CT through Rhode Island to Westborough, Massachusetts

Miles: 84.7 Today / 2434.74 Total

Elevation Gain: 5994 ft. Today / 69,146 ft. Total

Question: When are these long days going to stop?

Answer: Today. According to our itinerary, this is the last long ride of the trip. Kind of.

Tomorrow we have our last rest day, then there will be just 8 more days of cyclingto get to Canada, 6 of those to Bar Harbor with the BTUSFMS team. One of the 2 days on my own will be a long day, just because there are no lodging options for 86 miles. I look forward to being on my own, the last 2 days and managing my time and rest stops the way I usually do when I am bicycle touring. It’s been fun riding with a group of people and bumping into team members here and there throughout the day, but I’m ready for some alone time. Really ready. In fact, when I get home, I may need a week as a complete hermit to recover. No, make that a month.

In Westborough, we are being joined by the guy from BTUSFMS who runs the US rides and trains the route leaders as well as 2 new route leaders who will be in training for the rest of our tour. They will take over as route leaders on the Northern Tier ride that leaves out of Bar Harbor 2 days after we arrive there. 

But let’s get back to my day. On a bike, 86 hilly miles is really far, and climbing almost 6000 vertical feet is SUPER challenging. Together, the distance and non stop hill climbing made for a long day in the saddle.

The route wound through more of rural Connecticut, then the northwest corner of Rhode Island, then into Massachusetts—all in one day. The only way I knew I was in another state was looking at my map, because “Welcome” signs were non existent, due to being on rural roads. At one point, I stopped to ask a woman who was walking her dog if I was in Massachusetts yet. She set me straight—I wasn’t.

Throughout the day, we rode up and down hills and through quaint little towns, scenic state forests, large family farms, and private homes, many of them historic, on large forested parcels. I wondered where middle class people live in these states, because there wasn’t a single home for the average Joe to be seen, at least from the roads we were on.

The First United Methodist Church in Westborough had enough rooms for each of us to have a private room, which was a huge plus. What they didn’t have was a shower, so we had to take a tent shower on the side of the building next to the parking lot, which was a little awkward.

While I showered, about 65 people were arriving for a concert that was being held in a really cool central hall of the church. The female vocalist had amazing pipes, and there was a bit of a sing-along component to the show, so once I was dry and dressed, I found my own seat to watch and participate.