Dipping our rear tires in the Atlantic Ocean at Warrens Point Beach in Little Compton
Dipping our rear tires in the Atlantic Ocean at Warrens Point Beach in Little Compton
Dipping our rear tires in the Atlantic Ocean at Warrens Point Beach in Little ComptonFamily and friends from our local bike groups saw us off, biking with us to the end of the road or to the end of the Sakonnet River Bridge 15 miles upWe stopped for coffee and snacks 13 miles in at coastal roastersFriends from Providence met us for a burrito lunch when we biked through townMy cousin’s cat Shmoo sits recliner watching the bugs taunt her through the window

Day 1: Rolling

Sunday, May 22nd, 2022

  • Location: North Smithfield, RI
  • Longitude: 71° 34' 2" W
  • Latitude: 41° 57' 4" N
  • Miles Today: 55
  • Total Miles: 55

We survived the first day!!

The Start

We left from our local beach where we dipped our rear tires in the Atlantic, a cross country tour tradition, with lots of friends and family around to see us off. We had a whole peloton going up the road with us, with some joining for just a mile and some for 15. I’m excited for this adventure, but it’s bittersweet knowing I won’t see all these people for a whole summer. I’m definitely feeling very loved by my community in LC as we head out.

We stopped for coffee about 13 miles in (which as you’ll learn over the coming months is my preferred first break for the day). Then we headed west over the bridge to Portsmouth. This is a route I know well from my time commuting between PVD and LC on weekends, so it’s nice not to need to follow a map or cue sheet yet.

We followed the East Bay bike path up to Providence, where wr met up with some of my friends for a burrito lunch. The off up the Blackstone River Bikeway north. New roads for me at this point. The bike path took us up to mile 47 where we headed inland for the first time all day. It was hot! (Little Compton still hasn’t hit 70° yet…) We also relearned what hills are ended up +300’ elevation for the day.

The first stop is my cousin Susan’s, house. She makes a great Mac and cheese and owns a bakery so we knew we would be well fed and she exceeded our expectations. It was great to catch up with her and her mom, Jane. It was really amazing to know we had a great meal, great company, and a hot shower waiting for us at the end of day one.

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