Lake Loop: July 21, 2007

We set out at 7:30 a.m. on the 132-mile Lake Loop. The trio: Byron, Lin, me. A perfect riding day: headwinds on the route north, a healthy and helpful push home. Temps in the mid 80s, low humidity that put the drain on our water supply. After the obligatory stop on Kerr Dam, we hit a lunch stop at Roses in Boydton. For more on that eatery, see April's fleche write-up.

We checked out the Skipwith Grocery, a very funky place with a friendly owner who agreed to serve as a control, so I'm moving the second control to there and out of the always busy Uppys in Clarksville.

For the second year in a row, we hit Lake Fest in Clarksville and rode through the crowds on Virginia Street before veering off on the sidestreets and through town.

The last 50 miles we cranked up the tempo, regularly amping it up to 22, 23, 24 until Byron's stomach finally cried uncle. Average ride speed: 17.2, up from 16.4 at the 50-mile mark. We rolled into the finish at 5:15 p.m.

Another beautiful day on the bikes. Slideshow below.