Week 3 Webisode - Bloomington, Indiana

Bandcycle just spent a delightful three nights just off the campus of Indiana University, in Bloomington. You might not have heard of it, but the Little 500 is one of the biggest sporting events in Indiana, and maybe the country. Lots of history. The girls we stayed with won last year. No biggie. It's not like they made a movie about it or anything.

We had a blast. Great food. Lots of discussions about cycling. Our hosts could probably come close to beating us in a relay, but Dan and I maintain that we would pull it out in the end. Oh, and we saw their pet cat eat a chipmunk this morning. We got it on tape, don't worry.

Of course Bandcycle isn't just about cycling. It's about bands too. And us. And lots of other things. But Bloomington had an unexpectedly vibrant music scene. We lucked out and arrived the same weekend as the Crossroads of America Records music festival, featuring Indiana-only bands. We were fortunate enough to spend some time with the label's founders, hip kids from the band Husband and Wife. They played a backyard show for us, and we caught up with them later in the evening at the festival. It was truly one of the most energetic and heartfelt concerts any of us at Bandcycle have ever experienced. When we talk about music revealing the "soul" of a place, this is what we mean. It'll all be covered when this week's webisode gets posted in a month or so.

We've been biking through Indiana all week, and it's basically Ohio, except skinnier on a map. There weren't many places to stay between Cincinnati and Bloomington, which accounts for our three night stay with the cyclists (we're not complaining, they were cool). We've been getting chased by a lot of dogs and heard a shotgun or two, but it's mostly calm - the only sounds coming from a westerly breeze and the distant churning of combine tractors harvesting their fields.

In other news, we've finally finished our webisode, so be sure to click the play icon over Bel Air, Maryland to check that out. Should be up before midnight tonight.

- Maj

Distance Biked - 123 miles (2 days)

Distance Biked to Date - 969 miles