I’ve been asking around as usual as to what puts Herkimer NY on the map, historically, geographically, and of any other interesting facts. What I’m concluding is pretty much kind of not much. There is a Fort Klock, so then I wonder why not Klockimer ?  Humm. ? I know, because I see it from my hotel window there is a Herkimer exist on the NY Thurway. And there is a canal which seems to be the hub of activity. We ate at the Waterfront Grill twice today, lunch after our ride and back for dinner in lieu of another Appllebee’s !!! See photos   A group of us elected to pay for dinner there vs. a free Applebee’s. Our nights lodging is at the Red Roof Inn where apparently the roofing contract has the roof color in very fine print. See photos. All interesting things you notice in Herk Town. 

This morning back in Syracuse I decided to dress smarter for today’s heat. Today would be a white jersey day and I decided to forgo the heart monitor. Yesterday the black jersey and the H monitor added to the heat. Besides I didn’t want to see my heart rate before I imploded from heat exhaustion. I packed my water bottles with ice and took a third for dumping on my head and neck. Ok bring on the inferno. In reality it was a decent morning with the high clouds. But after lunch we suffered. When we reached Herkimer 70 miles later we were cooked a medium rare, charred on the outside but slightly pink inside. 

Ok so we did put the hammer down on 2 epic pace line pushes. Yeah I undoubtedly instigated both runs but it was a good old  fashioned pedal down push. One stretch of farm road just begged to be ridden at 25 – 27 mph so I took advantage and put some of the boys in tap out, I’m cooked. So our pace line started with maybe 12 and now we are about 9 ish into the first and only SAG. Then we fuel up with iced coffees, bars, jells, fruit, Gatoraides and top off water bottles. We roll back out onto the battle fields. Well sure enough we hit it nice and play fair until I couldn’t  take it anymore. So we start bringing the speed up gradually until we dwindle down to the final four. We ride into Herk out of water and pretty spent. A good time was had by all. 

How was that exit out of Syracuse you ask. Well we ran a slalom coarse around pot holes, giant road cracks and mounds of decades of road repairs. These roads are OLD and obviously the winters take a toll. But the pot holes are second to no others. We are talking the size of an abyss. I looked up abyss in the dictionary and it’s defined as, a deep immeasurable space or cavity, a vast chasm. It should also be defined as a typical pothole  in Syracuse NY. 

We saw a sign outside a cute country general store today that said, We have tomatoes pies. I asked if anyone knew what these were. The answer I got was ” yeah pizzas”!! 

Another thing I saw back in Syracuse was a trash truck but it had 2 trash man. I didn’t think trash companies still used real trash man as trucks are automated with one driver and his cool trash can lifter upper. Kind of fun to see the guys flinging the cans into the back of their trucks. Oh the things you notice on the road from a bike. 

We hit another road closed detour again today. It brought the tour to a standstill while scouts checked it out. Yep we got the ” sorry boys you’ll have to go around” So we did, again. See photos 

Tomorrow we bid fairwell to Herkimer. I’ll remember you fondly the next time I’m rolling north on the NY Thruway. Adios, tomorrow the circus rolls onto Albany. 

🚴🏻