Start:Wheeling, WV 8 am

End: Pittsburgh, PA 4 pm

Total miles:70

Elevation change: +4,478 -4,557

Good as I felt about yesterday, I was really worried about today. Same elevation change, 10 more miles and no place to spend the night if I couldn’t make it. I’d been staring at the nap with dread for days.

I needn’t have worried.

Most if it was on rails to trails! The first part was going north along the Ohio River to the town of Follansbee. I knew that coming out of Follansbee would be the single greatest climb of the trip . And it was. I couldn’t have done it on my road bike without panniers. There was no hope today. I could barely push my bike up. It looks vertical on the profile.

Then after that, it was a magical descent on a quiet tree-lined curvy road, through a gorgeous valley, old towns and farms to.. another rails to trail! If only I’d read the directions instead of looking at the bumps on the map!

There were some long slow climbs coming into Pittsburgh—2 miles’ worth—but the day was more like Indiana plus a hellacious climb than the eastern Ohio hill country of the past 3 days.

Tomorrow—GAP!

Weird to be in a big city again after the eerie isolation of the last three days.