Day 12 - 102 miles

Team Century Day #1. More to come. We got off to a bit of a late start due to some plumbing issues at the church. Pastor Jim assured us it was not our fault, the plumbing issues were pre-existing. (though I blame it on the Beef Stew that was consumed for breakfast). We decided that we were going to do whatever it took to get to Peru, IN, where my brother lives and where we were sure to be welcomed with food, drinks, and hot showers. Pedaling right into the 20mph headwind that was coming straight out of the west, we made it 30 miles down the road where we stopped at Becky's Restaurant in Willshire, OH, home of the best cinnamon rolls in the world. And congratulations to the guy at the next table over who got married that day! We got back on the bikes to fight the wind for another 30 miles before stopping for lunch under a big shade tree on the side of the road. We were all feeling optimistic that we were over half-way to Peru and were about ready to take off again when Freda noticed she had a flat tire. We did a quick roadside fix (shaved 30 minutes off our first flat tire change) and kept going. 20 miles later the tire was flat again. We decided to pump it back up and see if it would last another 20 miles. It lasted 4 miles instead. We put in a new tube, but we bent the stem. We patched the old tube, but it wouldn't hold. We put in a new tube again and were very careful to not bend the stem. (who needs bike maintenance classes when you can have hands-on practice). By now it was 7:30pm, we were 15 miles from Peru, and we'd changed Freda's tire 4 times in the past 20 miles. Good thing it doesn't get dark until 10:00pm here. The last 15 miles went quickly due to the multiple dogs that tried to attack as we rode by. We finally pulled to Ryan and Sarah's house where we were greeted with open arms until they saw/smelled us and then we were told that we had to get in to pool before they'd let us into to house. Great food, hot showers, and clean laundry followed. Thanks Ryan and Sarah!