Day 10: Flagstaff, AZ to Holbrook, AZ

Distance: 95.59 miles

Elevation gain: 1,220 feet

Avg speed: 18.1 mph

Max speed: 34.1 mph

Moving time: 5:16:06

Today definitely had its ups and downs, no pun intended. 

On the upside: the ride was fun, fast, and interesting. 

On the downside: FLATS!!!

I’d like to say first that I consider myself quite fortunate in the flat department. Prior to today, I had only had one flat on this trip so far. Many of my fellow riders have had MULTIPLE flats, and today it seemed like nearly all of us ended up with at LEAST one flat.

By the way, apparently you don’t even have to say something out loud to jinx yourself. Sometimes the mere THOUGHT of something can bring on the bad outcome. Such was the case for me today. I had less than a mile to go before reaching the hotel and I found myself reflecting on how LUCKY I’ve been on this trip when it comes to flats. And then, it happened. My front tire started getting noticeably soft. No worries, I had everything I needed with me to take care of it, which of course I did. 

At dinner, I mentioned to another rider that I had gotten one flat today, bringing my total to two. Later on, while uploading my YouTube video, I decided to check my tires. Lo and behold, my back tire was noticeably soft. Upon closer inspection, I found THIS little gem in the tire:

This is the tiny piece of wire that was in my back tire

But enough about the downside for today - let’s discuss the upside!

The first 40 or so miles of today’s ride was almost entirely downhill, resulting in a VERY fast pace at the start. The first SAG stop was about 40 miles into the ride, yet I made it there in less than two hours! I was absolutely FLYING!

Once we were past the first SAG, the ride was largely flat, but that downhill portion was not the only thing this ride had in store for us. Shortly after the SAG, we reached the town of Winslow. Yes, THAT Winslow. And yes, they have a corner dedicated to that song. 

A group of us standing on the corner. That’s me in the Mets jersey, third person in on the right. 

We also encountered a man in Winslow who is in the process of riding a penny farthing across the country from California to Maryland:

In addition to visiting that famous corner, we also all enjoyed a wonderful ice cream break. The fun didn’t end in Winslow, however: the second SAG stop was at the Jack Rabbit Trading Post:

And, of course, a ride day just wouldn’t be complete without a video:

And that is all for now. Tomorrow is another big day - approximately 92 miles and our second state line crossing - we go into New Mexico. See you all tomorrow!