I came into the Brattleboro/fried-rice control (Machka came in just a little while later), and knew I should try to fuel up, so I tried to make myself eat some of the fried rice, but it was just too hot out and so I only ate a couple of bites. Lucky me. Felt pretty queasy for the next eight hours to Middlebury, so was making very slow headway. Lost hours of time as a result, so was hitting controls with steadily less time to spare. Got two hours sleep at Middlebury and left an hour after it closed. Saw Machka at Ludlow, Middlebury, and again at Rouses Point, where she looked decidedly green. Riding into Huntingdon meant several hours of riding directly into the sun, on shadeless roads. Very high water consumption. Despite what the cue sheet said, there were a few places to get water, though the first place I watered-up was from a nice Canadian who was sitting on his porch. At Huntingdon, we heard that Machka had DNF'd. Next time I saw her was when she and Rowan passed me about 25 miles out of Boston. I hopped onto their little paceline -- I think they were kind enough to slow down a little bit, since I was struggling to hang on at the awesome pace of about 12 mph -- and we all tagged into Boston, arriving just as it was getting to be dusk. That was the longest 25 miles I've ever ridden, but it made it a whole lot easier to have Rowan and Machka to roll along with and laugh with. Thanks very much for letting me hang on!

Nick