Pokomoke City, MD, to Virginia Beach, VA

"Partly sunny in the morning...then becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers. Highs in the upper 50s. West winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph."

It was raining when I got up at 5:30 AM and went to look for coffee. It was still raining when we left the hotel at 7:45 AM. The temperature was 49, chilly degrees. I donned my arm warmers, leg warmers, bandana, wind breaker, and put a hair net on my helmet.

Captain Jack at the Virginia State line

Stage summary:

Team Big Dog (Mike, Al, Jack, and I) were first out of the driveway and never looked back. Peter the Wuss, was not with the team, having declared it was too cold and wet. A pesky head wind was blowing, so Captain Jack quickly took charge and organized the team into a rotating pace line - each rider taking turns at the front for one-mile intervals before turning over the lead chore to the next rider in line. The route took the riders down deserted roads through fields planted with soy beans, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. The peloton was quickly left behind. Don (50 peaks) bridged the gap between the peloton and the breakaway group of four just before entering the feeding zone (SAG stop). Catching Team Big Dog asleep at the switch, Don was first our of the feed zone and became a solo breakaway, maintaining his lead until the end and taking the stage. Team Big Dog worked in vain to reel Don in, but was forced to accept second, third and fourth places as a team. No final sprint was possible because they had to cross a busy four-lane highway a few meters before the finish line at the beginning of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

So close…Our route took us ten miles west of Chincoteague, VA, home of the Chincoteague ponies. The popular, child's book, Misty of Chincoteague, was a favorite of my children. Every summer, in July, feral horses on nearby Assateague Island are rounded up and herded to Chincoteague where foals are auctioned off by the volunteer fire department. The round up includes driving the ponies across the Assateague Channel at slack tide.
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(This picture is from Wikipedia Commons and is in the public domain.)


The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) is a 23-mile long fixed link crossing the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The bridge-tunnel combines 12 miles of trestle, two 1-mile long tunnels, four artificial islands, two high-level bridges, approximately 2 miles of causeway, and 5.5 miles of approach roads. Bicycles are not allowed on the CBBT, so CrossRoads loaded the riders and bikes onto the vans and shuttled them to the hotel in Virginia Beach. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, turkey salad wraps, chips and soft drinks were provided for the hungry riders before the lift to the hotel.



Virginia Beach, VA (1906)
Population 437,994; elevation 10'
It is illegal to use profanity on or near the beach!


77.4 miles; 4:32 hours; 725' climbing; 3,930 Calories