Day Two: Tim Johnson's Ride on Washington

Day Two: Hartford, CT - NYC (148 Miles 8,000 feet of elevation)

At the end of the first day we were greeted with this video that NECN put together from the kickoff of the ride. The support from not only the local news affiliates but from local cyclists along the way was something to behold. Knowing that we were to be rolling through cities on a daily basis cyclists came out in droves to guide us in to the host cites. The Beat Bike Blog being one of these rolled in with MTB World Cup legend Salem Mazzawy (complete with wool pants, work-boots and flat pedals) to drag us the last 20 miles into town.

The next day was an early wake up call and roll out to head out on what would be our longest day on the bike. No matter which way you slice it, 148 miles is a good bit of ground to cover. With each day came some new expectations and a change in scenery, but also an update to the map and route that we were using. Case in point, a snow covered bikeway is not an ideal route to try and navigate. We found this out when we arrived at the foot of such bikeway. These unforeseen adventures sometimes put a slight hitch in our smooth pedaling.

Luckily we were able to stop in at the head operations of Cannondale (Tim's sponsor) and they were able to provide a great crew to motivate the second half of our day. Diminishing sunlight and the high amount of town-line sprints kept everyone alert and the pace high as we rolled straight through the Bronx (and into a live chicken shop) and into the heart of Manhattan for a luxurious stay at the Hudson Hotel as we rested our heads and prepared for the heavens to open up and dump 5 inches of moisture onto the world below.