Huntington, WV - a sad day of rest.

Hello-
We are finally on our last day in West Virginia. I can't wait to reach Ohio! We are nearly out of the Appalachians and on to flatter ground.

Yesterday we rode from Summersville, WV to Charleston, WV. After 30 miles of riding, we climbed Mount Olive. It was a solid mile or 2 climb at 11% grade. It was intense. I was pushing so hard to make it to the top and my body wanted to quit on me. I had to take a few breaks, but pushed onwards. After climbing this mountain for what felt like years, I was running out of energy and needed another break. I was about to stop when the support van drove by and my friend Dana(who's been injured) leaned out the window and yelled, "B-Money, Keep going! You're almost to the top!" That encouragement gave me inspiration to push onwards to the top of the mountain. At the top, I found 3 other team members waiting cheering me on as well. We all stopped and waited until almost the entire group got up there before going on. The whole groups energy and support really helps pull me through at rough times. The best part of Mount Olive was the 13% downgrade on the other side for 1.5 miles. My bike computer wasn't working at the time, but I may have broken a new personal max bike-speed record. It was beautiful soaring through the Appalachians. After the fun at Mount Olive, we proceeded on Highway 60 in the shoulder. We rode highway 60 for about 25 miles, and it was terrifying. The West Virginians didn't seem very hospitible to cyclists on the road, even when we were on the shoulder. They were constantly yelling at us, and I had my first near death experience on the road. A motorcyclist swurved over towards me and Andrew and rode very close by us. The good news is, no one died or got hit. Just shaken up. But, the bad news - my knee felt awful on the last 5 miles of the trip.
We arrived at a church that was amazing in Charleston. They fed us a giant meal and called the media to spread awareness about what we were doing for Bike and Build. They were amazing hosts and I hope they continue their mission of feeding the hungry.

Now, about today.. Today - The group rode from Charleston, WV to Huntington,WV.
My knee was way swollen after yesterday so I stubbornly decided that it would be best if I took a day off for my knee to get better and so I could ride tomorrow into Ohio. It was a tough decision to take a day off, because I wanted to ride every mile.. but I figure if I take the time to let it heal now, I'll be able to conquer 8 more weeks of riding injury free. So today I rode in the van to heal. I'm not sure if my knee healed today, but I know I'm going to at least ride the morning tomorrow so I can ride into Ohio. I'm so excited about getting closer to the midwest and getting to see everyone in Kansas!

I'm going to see if I can figure out how to post some pictures. I'm not very blog savvy yet.
I'll post pictures when I figure out how.. and I'll update again soon!