DAY 37

ROUTE:Crawfordsville,IN to Indianapolis,IN	DISTANCE:64 miles	WINDS:Calm
WEATHER:Hot and humid	TERRAIN:Farmland tapering off into urbania	CLIMBING:Fairly flat

Monday, July 12th. Everyone was in great spirits this morning because we had a short day (64 miles) and we also had a rest day to look forward to on Tuesday. After breakfast, a large group of us headed out on Rt.136 East under overcast skies and heavy humidity. Not too many pedal strokes, John (Maine) had the first flat of the day. We all stopped and waited while Joe changed the tube...Joe is the pro around here at changing flats with a record time of under 4 minutes. It didn't take long for us to get back on the road. Dale (our new rider from Tucson) was in our group, and he took the lead with me right on his back wheel. Suddenly I looked back and the group behind us was nowhere to be seen! After a couple of minutes, Michael rode up and said that there had been another flat. Since there were plenty of folks back there, we decided to press on. What was I thinking?? Dale is a monster on the road! We rode at a pace between 18-12 mph all the way to the first SAG at mile 30. That SAG happened to be in Pittsboro,IN, home of Nascar's Jeff Gordon. About 5 miles from the SAG was the Rourke bicycle factory. Rourke also builds titanium parts for B-52 bombers, but we were only interested in their bikes! We got a tour and had an opportunity to see and ask questions about how a handmade bike is built. I was sorts hoping for a sample, but no such luck! Our next stop was at Eagle Creek Park, a really nice park with a large lake and marina. We detoured into the marina for ice cream, and Joe and Doug decided to rent a Sunfish sailboat for an hour. Good thing Doug knew what he was doing, because Joe would've never stayed afloat otherwise! The rest of us waited on shore with cameras focused, but left after realizing that the sailors would likely stay dry. Next on the agenda was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As we rode past it, we could hear the deafening roar of engines...cars were being tested on the track, and we were able to go in and watch. I've never been to a Nascar race, but watching those cars fly around that track was pretty cool. After the Speedway, we rode about 3 miles down the street to the Major Taylor Velodrome. Major Taylor was a black American cyclist who rode for Australia because he wasn't allowed to compete for the USA. A group of world-class cyclists were in the velodrome working out for the upcoming world championships, and we had a converstion with Aaron Hartwell, a former Olympian who was coaching these cyclists. They seemed pretty impressed with what WE were doing, even though they are elite competitors. Most of us took a few laps on the track. I'm sorry to report that I was not very successful....as I got going, I looked down, saw the bank of the track I was on, and quickly took it to the bottom. Kinda scary! I felt a little wimpish...Joyce and Kathryn both went all the way around and did great! Michael from Indiana got up to 32 mph and ran way up at the top of the track! After leaving the velodrome, we made our way into Indianapolis. What a neat city! We cycled in along a canal that was at street level and had walkways and buildings on either side much like Venice, Italy. One bad move and we'd have ended up in the water with our bikes! One ice cream stop later we were in the hotel. Dinner was at the Olde Spaghetti Factory and it was scrumptious! Lots of riders had family/friends in...Mason's girlfriend Jen is here...Jim's girlfriend is here...Ken's daughter Tara is here...Tom's wife Nancy and daughter Barb are here...Bill met two friends for dinner...Michael's wife came and picked him up so he could spend a night at home. It's neat to meet family and friends of riders, and I'm looking forward to meeting others when we get to New Hampshire. Hard to believe we only have 13 more riding days left! Wow. We've come a long way, and I know we'll all be sad to see it end. We have 5 tough days ahead of us to Erie...475 miles in five days. Yikes! One more day in Indiana and then it's on to Ohio on Thursday. Thanks for checking in! Fingers crossed for tailwainds!

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