The best adjectives to describe the day are wet, cold and hilly.  I rode today with Gail and Marilyn B. from CCST13. They are an especially good team when conditions are poor – they just focus on getting the miles done.  I really needed them the last 15 miles as my cue/clue sheet was virtually unreadable after hours of water.

Yes, we started from Lakeville in the rain and had hills early, even before our legs could warm up.  At the 20 mile sag, chef Emily had to help me take off my soaked gloves, to replace them with latex liners and my fleece gloves.  My core was pretty warm all day, but my toes, even with shoe covers were cold and wet.  I also enjoyed several sips of hot chocolate at the sag, to warm my interior.

At mile 31, we were warned of a .6 mile climb, 7-8% grade.  Then we crossed the Saville Dam (Saville Dam) and had a similar, though not noted on our cue sheet, longer climb into Granby.  At 2-3 mph, these climbs go on for a long time pedaling, not always followed by a screaming downhill, due to uneven pavement.

Our route took us near to Bradley International Airport, which services Hartford, CT.  East Windsor, our overnight location, is about halfway between Hartford and Springfield on the Connecticut River.

At least a dozen riders chose to ride in the van today due to the weather.  We were excited to be at a hotel with laundry facilities, and Patricia generously shared her washer load so that I could clean some of the rain grime off of clothes (more rain in the forecast for tomorrow).

Not many photos today, for obvious reasons:

Mileage: 54.99; average speed 10.4, maximum speed 32.3; 4000 ft of ascent.