Bicycling from Washington DC
Through:
Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware & Virginia

2007 - August - September

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September 5, 2007
Richmond to Thornburg VA

Distance: 48.9 miles
Elevation climbed: 1,200 ft

We left our motel near the Richmond airport early in the morning and headed out on a busy 4 lane road. We never left busy 4 lane roads all day. The first 10 or so miles we traveled on highway 196 going around Richmond VA on the east and north sides. Except for the traffic, it was easy riding because it was fairly flat. We than turned onto Highway 1 and headed north toward Washington DC. Again the road was fairly flat so it was easy riding until we reached Ashland VA. Shortly after passing Ashland, we began having rollers. We would go down a hill in excess of 25 miles per hour and crawl up the next hill at less than 5 miles per hour, one hill after another. They were not true rollers because there generally was between 2 or 3 hundred yards from the bottom of one hill and the top of the next hill.

Mary Kay was working very hard going up these hills. She was not relaxing as she rode the bicycle and on one hill she suddenly had a pain in her back. Her muscles had cramped up giving her back pain. She got off the bicycle and walked up the rest of the hill. At the top she got back on the bicycle and for the rest of the day and the rest of the hills she was careful not to over extend herself. After reaching the motel in Thornburg, Jane gave Mary Kay a 2 hour massage which relaxed her muscles that had cramped up on that hill.

We ate a very late dinner in our rooms, takeout from Burger King.