Another Quick Post - Asheville

This will be another quick one, this time from Asheville. We are scrambling to get out of our Asheville hotel and begin what may be the hardest day of the trip - 92 miles with two category 1 climbs at a 6000 ft peak.

A quick post will not do justice to the incredible hospitality we have received over the past two days, or the beauty of Friday's ride. On Friday, Ty, Conway, and George rode about 50 miles through very hilly terrain to reach the Munford Cabin from our Racoon Holler campground. Their slogging was rewarded, however, with fantastic views from the famous Blue Ridge Parkway viaduct. Meanwhile, Capel and I got supplies and did some planning for the coming few days. We all met at the Munford cabin in the early afternoon, greeted by my Princeton buddies Mary Reid Munford and Eben Novy-Williams. Despite a hearty challenge from Mr. Munford in his emailed directions, none of the riders were able to bike up the driveway (the going claim is that if it were paved instead of loose gravel, TDS would be 5 for 5.. as it stands we went 0 for 2 with 2 falls from J.. We were actually fortunate to get the rugged Sienna up the hill, Mr. Dabney showed some impressive driving skills to dominate the hill). The rest of the day spent hanging out at the cabin was a blast. TDS cooked the hosts dinner, which was followed by spirited games of "Apples to Apples" against the beautiful backdrop of the cabin's porch view. After a great breakfast (thank you Mary Reid and Eben!), TDS headed to Asheville to catch the USA World Cup opener at a great microbrewery called the Lexington Avenue Brewery, "The L.A.B.". Later, we caught up with Mr. Chuck Pickering who treated us to a wonderful evening at the Biltmore. We had a fantastic meal at the Cedric Taven Estates' newly developed retail center by the Inn, and were greatly entertained by Mr. Pickering's stories and information about the Biltmore's new projects.

TDS has been incredibly lucky and is very grateful for the hospitality it has received from many friends and family along the way. We thank you sincerely, and hope you know that more thanks is coming once we get our feet set in Oxford.

Signing off, as TDS is Oscar Mike - PJD