Sunday was the last leg of my TransAmerican cycle, 75 miles from Richmond, VA to Yorktown, VA. 40 miles of it was on the Virginia Capital Trail, the longest cycle path I have been on so far.
Along the way I saw my first cotton field. In films, books and songs you come across them, but to actually see and touch one was a new experience.
Altogether, it was an easy ride, with some tail wind and no climbs. So I was here just after 1. Then off to the Yorktown Monument for the obligatory photo shoot, which naturally, started a conversation with a passerby, Mike, who had done the TA some years earlier.
After that, I had to go and look for a bed and met up with John, the caretaker of the local church. Having stayed in some interesting location during my trip, I had no expectations, and my jaw truly dropped when John showed me where I would be staying. Looking at the photos, you would agree. In addition, when I told him I was moving into a motel the next day, he offered for me to stay until Saturday. What a treat, obviously well deserved.
This gives me time to fully explore Yorktown and its surroundings, slow down and stop riding my bike in my sleep. My metabolism will also have to slow down a bit, as I no longer will need 4,000 - 5,000 calories per day.
It's lovely sitting here, but the fact that I have just crossed the whole of the United States on a bike, hasn't really sunk in yet. It will probably take a few days to get my head around this. Anyway, it's good to just have a few days without anything I need to do.
One bonus will be that I will be here for Yorktown Day on October 19th. It marks the anniversary of the decisive revolutionary battle with the British which, with French and Spanish support, was won by the Americans. The siege of Yorktown was effectively the end of the revolutionary war.
In the meantime I will put up some ride statistics.
