Distance: 59.94 miles
Elevation gain: 5,786 feet
Avg speed: 10.6 mph
Max speed: 42.1 mph
Moving time: 5:40:34
Today was a shorter ride, so I do have a BIT more time than the last few days, but tomorrow is going to be another big day, so I will still keep this somewhat brief.
I have to admit, I was feeling a bit intimidated this morning by all the climbing we had in store for us today. You see, I’m not really that strong of a climber, though I’ve been working at it. Still, looking at the climb profile last night had me a bit worried. I also didn’t get as much sleep as I would have liked last night.
The ride started out as a procession like the first day did, only this time it was due to road construction just north of Wickenburg. This led us into the first climb of the day, albeit a much smaller one than we had ahead. Before the next climb, we ended up getting stopped once again for road construction. Arizona Route 89 going through the Yarnell Pass had a section being resurfaced, so all the traffic was limited to one lane being used for both directions, so there was about a 3 mile segment where you had to wait for your direction’s turn. Once they released us, it wasn’t long before the first really major climb of the day was on!
Once we were over the Yarnell Pass, we had our first SAG stop in Flora May Park in Yarnell. After that, we had some really nice descending into Peeples Valley before starting the long climb into Prescott (which began with a few miles of false flats followed by a stair step of climbs and descents). Before that climb got TOO well established though, we stopped for lunch (at least I did, along with at least SOME of us) at a store in Wilheit called Country Corner. There, I ran into an older gentleman who was bike-touring with his “best friend” - he was towing his dog in a trailer. (He said she’s his navigator.) Anyway, after lunch it was time to ride the last 16 or so miles up and over the climb into Prescott, our stop for the night. On the run-in to the hotel we rode through the downtown area so we could see what was nearby, as tonight was a “dinner on your own” night of the tour. Although, I must admit that the last place I saw before arriving was a Panda Express which was right next to the hotel, so in the interest of maximizing my rest time for tonight I chose to eat there.
Tomorrow we continue on to Cottonwood, and it looks like we will be going over Mingus Mountain and having lunch at the Haunted Hamburger in Jerome. Should be a good day!
And, of course, the day’s video:
Well, that’s all for now - see you tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment