Our second to last day of cycling began very early We left the Shah’s house in Trumbull well fed and well rested. The day started out beautifully. The morning was a cool one, and as we headed to the coast of Bridgeport, we could smell the sea air and we were eager to set eyes on the Long Island sound! So eager in fact that when we got near the water, we strayed from our original route so that we could follow a bike path that went along the beach. Unfortunately it turned out to be the path to nowhere, and we had to take a long, gravelly detour to get back to the main ride. But by then, our mini-disaster had already struck! Meghan’s tire was punctured, and she had her first flat! And, to make matters worse, a bird pooped on her at the very moment that she realized her tire was flat.

So that was sort of a bummer, but things quickly improved once we got the tire situation figured out. As we entered the more historic part of Bridgeport, and then Westport and Fairfield, we found ourselves on winding suburban roads, overlooking vistas that looked as though they belonged in Oxford, or Yorkfordshire, or something else quaint that ends in “shire.”

      
Team Londonderry in Westport-shire (l); Coasting into Trumbull (r)

What we thought was going to be a 35 mile ride to Rye turned out to be a 55 mile day, which made it by far the longest day of Back in Bloomers. But 11 hours after leaving the Shah’s in Trumbull, we arrived at the Marriott Courtyard in Rye, where I now sit, savoring the wireless connection, making final PR efforts for tomorrow.

It’s hard to believe that Back in Bloomers ends tomorrow and that, come Monday morning, things will be Back in Business Casual….back to the daily grind of non-cycling, non-street performing lives! It’s easy to imagine why in 1895, Annie was so tempted to leave her responsibilities behind and seek adventure on the open ride. It’s entirely infectious and despite my sore quads and slight saddle soreness, I’d be quite happy to hop on my bike again on Monday morning and continue all the way down to Florida, and then some!

Artsy shot of Gary with his bike
Tomorrow is a big day and the final day of Back in Bloomers. After riding to Larchmont NY and having breakfast at the home of Mary Goldiner, Annie’s grand-daughter, we will meet up with some other cyclists at the train station. Team Londonderry will once again expand to mini-parade size, as we proudly cycle in to our finish in Washington Square Park. And then, from 6-9:30 pm, at Mundial Bar in the East Village, we will party like it’s 1895! Ben will perform, videos will be shown, and lots of fun items will be available at the silent auction.

Until then!

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