Stuart

Joe was back in true form this morning and was ready to leave before it got light. Jeff only agreed to go after a breakfast stop. Cycling out of Galax took us on major roads with shoulders; essential because of the heavy traffic. We were heading to Stuart, 50 miles northeast. When routes US 221 and US 58 split we took route 58 and lost the shoulders and most of the traffic. We climbed for about 36 miles until we got to the top. There, a sign informed us that we were about to experience a cyclist’s ecstasy, a 9 percent down grade over the next 6 miles. Joe flew down recording a maximum of 44mph. Jeff, the more timid, only hit 37 mph. While the downhill became less steep, it continued almost 6 more miles into Stuart. Neither of us can wait to climb back up part of this grand descent as we retrace part of today’s route to leave town tomorrow and head to Floyd.

Todays Map

Entire Trip Map

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