Day 7: Grundy VA to Abingdon VA

 Today was to have been one of our biggest days - over 6000 feet of climbing!  Didn't quite work out that way for me, though.  

We pulled out of our rather tired Comfort Inn shortly after 8 this morning.  It was still a bit foggy and our chilliest start yet at about 4C.  Quite a few women decided to take a "bump" either at the start of the ride or later on.  This requires a fair bit of coordination, though, since the SAG can only take a few bikes and the van & trailer can't travel on many of the steep and winding backroads that we travel.  We didn't have to ride too far before we had the opportunity to warm up a bit.  We were climbing gently almost from the start, but the first big climb started somewhere around 8 miles.  For a change we had switchbacks up the hill, but it was still stupidly steep.  A bike-and-hike opportunity for me for sure.  I put my coat back on for the downhill, but was comfortable without the extra layer for the most part.  I couldn't say the same for most of my American friends.  They like their temperature a little bit warmer. 

For the early part of the day the terrain was similar to that of much of Kentucky.  Riding the little valleys between the steep, heavily treed hills.  There was usually a creek or river running through the valley.  In most cases the valleys were so narrow that the road would be on one side of the water and the houses on the other.  The houses would have these little bridges connecting their properties to the road.  I can only imagine how many of these were washed away in the flooding that affected the areas we rode through a few days ago.

     

And while the properties, in general, seem to be a bit more prosperous than in Kentucky there are still picturesque decaying barns to be seen.

The narrow valleys kept the sun out for several hours so the cool temps stayed with us.  Good thing there was lots of climbing to be done; ugh!  At about 16 miles, and before the second big climb, I noticed that my bike was making a lot of noise.  It kind of sounded like I had a playing card clothespinned to the rear wheel.  I must have stopped a dozen times to make sure nothing was rubbing.  At the top of the second climb I flagged Guide/Chef Sue down to take a listen and she diagnosed it as a problem with the bearings in my rear hub.  I continued downhill to where the van & trailer were parked at about 30 miles.  Along with 4 others I took a "bump" into Abingdon where Chef Sue took it to the bike shop.  The mechanic there claimed he didn't have time to work on it today, but somehow he made time for it and it's now ready to go again tomorrow.  After I was distracted with this little issue, I didn't bother to stop for any pictures.  I will forever regret that I didn't stop to take a picture of the "Breeding Primitive Baptist Church".  There's an overwhelming variety of Baptist Churches down here.  Yesterday we had the "Freewill Baptist" as well as the "Old Regular Baptist", the "First Baptist" and several combinations of the above.  Might be a project for a future pandemic lockdown to figure out what the differences are.  There did seem to be a significant change in the terrain this morning, as the hills seemed to open up a bit more and the vegetation thinned (or perhaps had been logged).  All in all I got about half the ride done.  I'm just glad to have the bike fixed and not be derailed for days to come.

Even with my bike issues, I had a better day than some people.  I don't have the full story for any of them yet, but Stella had a stressful day as SAG driver and at least two riders crashed during the day. 

Abingdon appears to be quite a cute and thriving town.  Population about 8000.  But - we're staying a few miles out of town, out by a major highway so I won't be travelling back in to town to take a look.  The tourism blah-blah says this:  "Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia, the town of Abingdon is known for its artsy vibe, historic charm and its proximity to some of the most spectacular outdoor recreation in the state."  

Stats for the day:

Distance:  29.8 miles / 48.0 km

Elevation (Garmin):  3353' up / 2506' down / 1022m up, 764m down

Elevation (RWGPS):  1072m up, 833m down.

Weather:  Perfect for me.  A bit of fog early, then bright sunshine.  Temps from 4C to about 20C (a bit warmer in the afternoon after I was done biking).