Buffalo, New York to Victor, New York 79 mies and 2901 feet of climbing

We were blessed with clear blue skies and sunshine for our ride to Victor, New York, today. I always remembered upstate New York as being beautiful, green, and lush, and my memory didn't fail me, at least in this instance. The rolling countryside here is dotted with farms, fields, streams, and thick forests of trees. We passed through many small towns with historic homes from the early 1900s and before. Victor, the town we are in this evening, was founded in 1812 and was named after an American war hero from the War of 1812, Claudius Victor Boughton.

This morning as we gathered for our tour director's morning "route rap," we learned that rider Jill ( The Stellar Professor from the UK) had a problem with her bike. Evidently, it must have fallen over ( I'm not exactly sure) because the rear derailleur was damaged. 

I didn't get a look at it, but as we prepared to depart this morning, Dana and Fred of the crack Crossroads Tour staff were by the truck putting Jill's saddle on Jean's bike (lady Jean, not Gene Gene, the pedaling machine). But where was Jean? You ask. Jean rented a car last night, and today she is en route to Sturbridge, Mass, to attend her niece's wedding. She told me a few days ago that she made a deal with our tour director to get a ride to the car rental place in Buffalo. I believe she will be rejoining the tour in a few days. When they discovered that Jill's bike was out of commission, they got on the horn to Jean, who graciously agreed to let Jill use her bike. For how long, I do not know. I spoke with Jill after the ride today, and she was keeping calm and carrying on. I just googled bike shops in the area, and there looks to be a good one down the road. Hopefully, they can find a solution for her. 

Wouldn't you think a bike touring company undertaking a seven-week cross-country tour would have at least one spare bike for a rider to use in cases like this? And perhaps a spare wheel or two so if someone's wheel goes out (like rider Lisa's did in Arizona,) they can get the rider up and going again in short order? To me, these would seem like essential items for a trip of this length involving 22 people. The cost of two solid, no-frills touring bikes and two spare wheels would be minimal, and the items would pay for themselves tenfold in customer goodwill. Maybe I'll put that in my "Lessons Learned" email to the tour director after I'm safely home in California. 

Crossroads Cycling Adventures is lucky that Jill could use Jean's bike today and that Lisa could use former staff member Gary's high-end wheel a few weeks ago back in Arizona.  

Now that I think of it, back on the fourth or fifth day of this circus, our tour director claimed she had no room for my disabled bike in her large Penske rental truck or either of her tour vans (both equipped with bike racks). She told me, 

"I want that bike out of this truck!'

Customer service with a capital "C."

On a happier note, as I checked into our hotel this afternoon, I happened to notice that they had cold beer for purchase. To my surprise and delight, among the selections was Genesee Cream Ale, a beer I used to drink with my friends back in Simsbury, Connecticut. The Genesee website says they have been brewing beer in Rochester, New York, since 1878. I can report that the cold can of Genee Cream Ale I enjoyed this afternoon tasted as smooth as a lager and crisp as an ale, just as I remember it being over 45 years ago. So the next time you are in the mood for a cold one, why not make it a Genesee Cream Ale? Brewed with pure Hemlock Lake water in beautiful Western New York.