Stowe, VT

We said goodbye to New York State this morning and hello to Vermont. The familiar landscape kept us going despite the hills, and having Brendon back in the pack made the first twenty miles to Bristol fly by. The only thing I will distinctly remember about this morning is the smell that burnt my nostrils as we headed by multiple cornfields. They must have just put down some new manure because the smell was inescapable, even as I covered my nose with my gloves.

Our first snack lingered on for about 45 minutes, a little longer than usual, but soon we were heading up the app gap. The news camera crew continued on with us to take some action shots as we headed up the hill, and before we knew it the riders Biddle gathered from Stowe joined us for the arduous climb. The men which braved both sides of the gap were decked out in intimidating bike wear. For me, seeing Dick Drummond on the road was one of the most reassuring moments of this trip. He provided us with the bikes which we are riding and has been on the phone any time we've had a mechanical question we could not figure out.

With our enlarged group we headed up the ten percent grade. Boy was it a climb. We made sure to stay in some type of pack which helped with the mental stamina. When we had about a half mile left you could see the top and the crowd of people waiting for us. For me that made it harder knowing exactly where I needed to get to, but on the other hand it was nice to have support. I felt that if I stopped I would not be able to get my momentum back up, and it would be the end, so we all kept on trekking until we reached the top. The ride down made it worth it, but the sharp turns made me hit the breaks hard. Twenty miles from the bottom we arrived at Ellie's house.

The second we got to Ellie's house we jumped into the pond for a refreshing dip before some nice hot showers and delicious food. There was a whole crowd of people for dinner asking us tons of questions and providing great conversation, as always in the Duke household, but we're definitely ready for bed, even though it is not even eight. We're headed to Brockett's house tomorrow!!!

Posted by Gwen

Addendum by Ellie:
Hello! I just wanted to say thank you SO MUCH to everyone that showed up to meet us while riding, in Waterbury, and at my house here in Stowe. It was amazing to see all of those familiar faces after weeks of strangers and new places. You guys are the best... and you represented Stowe very well. My friends have been so impressed by you all and really enjoyed spending time here in Stowe, even if it was only for a few hours. I can't wait to get home in a week and see you all again!