Day #29 - Chillicothe to Kirksville, MO

Jun 1, 20242 min read

75.4 mi, 5,199 ft gain, 65-85F/overcast and humid

Hills for miles and miles. I love MO riding, why don’t more people talk about riding here? It’s fairly epic every ride and we’re in the “less” hilly area. Also why the heck is RWGps so off for elevations?? Today was 5,199ft.. not 3,142. That is enough to poorly plan as you’re riding. On the hill note, I shifted my front rings 82 times and my back cogs 997 times today. That says a lot about the route.

Luckily I didn’t go too hard, I was in for the long game and I kept spinning for the most part. Will I feel it tomorrow, sure.. but I feel happy with my chill hilly ride. We’re in the middle of a week straight; with 76, 106, 92 mile days before our rest in Champaign. Last thing I want to do is put myself out of energy.

But yes, today was challenging.. we started out on the shoulder of the highway for about 25 miles. Then we took a state route all the way in. While there was no shoulder, it went better than I would have expected for farm areas in the middle of Missouri. Lots of corn, cows, and various crops. We had SAG at one of the farms; now friends of the tour company. It was nice to take off my shoes for a few minutes.

Cicadas!! They’re here, they want you to know it. Apparently we’re entering the area known as cicadapocalyse! My home town is in the thick of it near STL. I think it’s super cool. It sounds like the forests are singing at you. Not to you, it’s a bit harsh for that. Ha

The term "cicadapocalypse" refers to the emergence of billions or trillions of cicadas in 2024, for the first time in 221 years. This event is also known as a "double brood emergence" or "co-emergence". The cicadas will begin to emerge when the soil around them reaches 64°F, and some say the event will be loud and creepy.

My attempt to record them while going up hill:

The absolute highlight of my day was getting to spend time with my Aunt Kari & Uncle Fred. We went to dinner tonight and tomorrow Fred is riding with me!! How exciting! To have family ride Missouri to Illinois with me is such a powerful statement on this cross country trip, one that I didn’t know was possible. They have been such a great cheer squad as I ride across, to share part of it with them is very special to me. I mean, a cicada landed on Fred as we walked into the hotel, pretty sure that’s good luck!