5: Winston->Hildebran

We planned an 85 mile day to Hickory but my contact fell through. We
anticipated a fairly rough day approaching the foothills. We had a
late 10am start which was necessary for Lee to maximize on family
time. In the early afternoon, Lee rear wheel failed. He was stopping
to check on directions and didn't even notice he was going flat. After
Lee changed the tire under a gorgeous tree which I have a picture of,
I noticed that he had busted a spoke on the drive-side. We didn't have
a chain whip or cassette tool so I called the LBS in Hickory and they
hid it for me to use after they closed. After making the wheel ridable
for the next 15ish miles, traveling 10 miles out of the way, and some
luck from asking the right people for help, we followed a another
rider out of town and drafted on him for a bit... I think Lee was
happy to chase someone else around for a change. So our 85 n mile day
easily turned in to about 100. We had some real problems but made it
thru them with good attitudes. We have resolved to get Lee a new wheel
somehow in Asheville. It's not worth risking to ride on a wheel that
has needed to be trued 3x in 2 days.
We jolted outta Hickory and we camped behind a fire station in Burke
County on the east side of Morganton. Tomorrow, early rise to try to
get to Asheville early enough for an afternoon graduation celebration
with friends.

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