Day 33 Kirksville, MO to Quincy, IL  91 miles and 3216 feet of climb

It was another hot and muggy day of riding as we made our way from Kirksville, Missouri to Quincy, Illinois. It was the fourth of July, and somehow I didn't get the memo to wear my red, white and blue America By Bicycle jersey. So staff member Mike graciously let me borrow his ABB jersey for the day. Our final destination today was Quincy, IL, which is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. The photo above was snapped by young Zak who was my riding mate for the latter part of today. 


The scenery was beautiful all day as we rode on country roads with seemingly endless miles of rolling hills through miles and miles of farmland. We passed through one small town after another. Today's ride (as well as our rides for the last few days) had everything you might want on a good bike ride. Beautiful scenery, little automobile traffic, decent country roads, and challenging hills to let you know that you've accomplished something at the end of the day.

During the 19th century, Quincy was a thriving transportation center as riverboats and rail service linked the city to many destinations west and along the river. Today Quincy is a town of over 40,000 people. 
After crossing the Mississippi River and entering the town of Quincy, I rode 3 or 4 miles to our hotel and, as I always do, found a place to eat some lunch. I think I arrived at around 2:15 in the afternoon.
After I finished eating, I remember going back outside to ride the final mile to our hotel and thinking, "Man it's hot out here. I just rode 90 miles in this?"

So far, I've held up pretty well in the heat. Let's hope that continues.

After dinner tonight, a number of us, myself, 4 members of the British National Cycling Team- Masters Division and 3 or 4 others sat around the fireplace in our hotel's lobby and talked about ( among other things) our impressions of the trip. One thing we all agreed on was that it has been an exceptional, vibrant, unforgettable experience.