Le Crosse to Richland Centre

Well if it hadn't have been raining this could well have been the best riding day yet.  Started pretty knarley coming out of town on what seemed to be a busy by-pass as everyone was scuttling to work.  We soon turned onto a road taking us up a short sharp hill, maybe a mile or more, which got the blood pumping.

• Long rolling roads
• Cycling along a plateau to Cashton, WI
• Stop for a breakfast at BJ's
• A few Amish carriages around
• We passed through a Portland (Unincorporated) on the way
• It was raining and cold, and quite exposed
• The breakfast and coffee was much appreciated.

There was a slight divergence in views of which way was the way out of Cashton, but we rejoined on the highway 33 and made our way to Hillsboro for lunch (Ruben with fries for me... good choice).  On the route between the two there was some stunning scenery.  I had grabbed my ipod at the stop and was rocking out to Blood Sugar Sex Magic, re-living my teens and loving the lush farmlands and friendly Amish locals.




Not far out of Cashton we passed Wildcat Mountain State Park.  There was a bit of undulation and mist covered woodland on the hills.  I was on my own, cut the tunes and enjoyed the sound of the various birds and wind through the trees, and the whizzing of my tyres on the wet road.  So still and serene.  It made the rain - which had dissipated at that point - seem so much more appreciated.  Without it how would the scenery be so verdant.

Another point about the rain is when you can follow the reflections in the road.  When it's the right surface and there's just enough surface water you can look down to your own reflection, or see that other riders, and the pedalling motion seems like flight, or stepping over the air.  Like the sign said in one of the motels recently "In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary."

After lunch I was cruising at the back for a bit.  Then I took off my jacket after a hill, was getting a bit cheerful from Beck, changed to Aphex Twin, and about 13 miles out of Richland Centre decided to put the pedal to the metal.  I hammered it for ten miles or so, passing the rest of the team on the way and coming into town and through, out the other side to the first hotel with a bar in for the whole trip.  Ace.  A couple of beers and the old "Hey buddy I like your hair, can I take a picture for my hairdresser" line.

All you can eat buffet.  All I could eat.

As I've still not got around to doing a proper run down of ride stats, and my road camera is broken so imagery is reduced for the blog for now, why not have a list of 10 road movies:

• Easy Rider
• Dumb & Dumber
• The Cannonball Run
• National Lampoons European Vacation
• Transamerica
• Flashback
• Vanishing Point
• Midnight Run
• Death Proof
• and, er, Road Trip...

Not claiming they're the best, like these guys.  But they are all fun.  So road trips are fun.  Good good.  I was just discussing yesterday how everything should be fun in life :)

Madison tomorrow, which is in the top 10 of Americas most bicycle friendly cities apparently.  OK, behind Portland, Minneapolis, and Chicago.  But it's a smaller place than those and I heard about it some time ago.  Punishing schedule for the next few days now.