The road so far:
Miles traveled: 519.88 miles
Elevation gained: 22,604 feet
The road yet to come:
Miles to go: 2,902.3 miles
Elevation to gain: 81,608 feet
Today has been a day of rest and reflection. It’s late afternoon, so I thought it would be a good time to update my blog. I slept amazingly well last night, and basically slept in until it was getting close to the end of breakfast. Got dressed, and ate SO well. Eggs, biscuits with sausage gravy, oatmeal, coffee, juice. Large quantities of all of the above. After breakfast I took everything off of my bike and brought it over to the bike wash station to get it all pretty and clean for the week ahead. You know what they say - a clean bike is a happy bike:
Next was a nap, followed by a walk over to Walmart for a couple of things I needed, then a walk over to Jersey Mike’s for lunch. Put everything back on the bike, plugged in all my electronics so everything is fully charged for tomorrow, and here I am.
Of course, I have some unfinished business to take care of. Three of my blog posts left a lot to be desired due to my being short on time. So here are some more details for those days.
Day 3: Moreno Valley, CA to Indio, CA
This was the second riding day, and the first day that featured a “big” climb. I put big in quotes because, well, it’s all relative. At the TIME, this was a huge climb for me. After having tackled Mingus Mountain, the Yarnell pass, and that switchback climb between Sedona and Flagstaff though, it doesn’t quite seem so major anymore. This ride featured our first “RAG” stop of the tour. That’s a stop that isn’t quite a full SAG stop, but it gives you an opportunity to regroup, refill your water, and prepare for the challenge ahead. About ten miles later was the big climb of the day, followed by a short ride to our first full SAG stop. This one doubled as a consolidation stop though, because on this day we rode through the Morongo Indian Reservation. We were required to ride through the reservation all together as one group with a police escort, so this stop was on the long side. This introduced a new challenge for me - during the stop, the only way I can think to put it is my leg muscles switched themselves off. When we started riding again, my legs felt horrible! Fortunately for me, much of the rest of the ride was downhill, and that certainly made it easier. After the reservation at some point, we had another SAG stop. At this one I found that my back tire was starting to feel a little soft. I debated for a short while as to whether or not I should change the tube, but while I was waffling, the tire made the decision for me. Oh well, better to have that happen at a stop than on the side of the road. The helpful staff assisted me with it, giving me some excellent pointers on removing and reinstalling the tire, and I have to say that was the easiest time I’ve ever had getting a tire back on the rim! I won’t go so far as to say I look forward to the NEXT time, but I WILL say that I’m not dreading it nearly as much.
Day 4: Indio, CA to Brawley, CA
This was the first, and hopefully ONLY discontinuity in this year’s route. The original plan was for us to ride along Route 10 pretty much all the way to Blythe, but due to road construction along the route the bike lane was closed, and they were not allowing bicycles along that stretch of road. Our hotel was in Blythe though, and to detour around the construction would have resulted in the route being WAY too long, so the Farmers came up with an alternate plan that had us riding to Brawley where they had two 15-passenger vans waiting to bring us north to Blythe. Because they substituted an equuivalent ride, I’m still going to consider this trip as one where I rode my bike from coast to coast, but it just takes some additional explanation.
One thing about this trip - each day has its unique challenge(s), and each day has its unique rewards. This ride wasn’t particularly long, and it didn’t have much in the way of climbing, but it was our first full day in the desert. I think this was both the challenge AND the reward! Oh, also, we got to ride along the Salton Sea, which was ALSO pretty fun. One thing about riding on a hot day in the desert - hydration is absolutely key! On this particular day, I felt like I drank a LOT of water, and yet I managed to go the full 79.44 miles of it without having to stop to use the bathroom even once! Also, I discovered that the sun will manage to find any exposed, unprotected skin. As a result of this ride, I have a tiny sliver of skin on my left wrist between my watch and my glove that got sunburned. Also, I managed to get sunburn on my lower lip. Lip balm with SPF protection works SO much better when you remember to put it on! On this particular day we had three full SAG stops, with “ice socks” at the second and third. Basically, an ice sock is just what it sounds like - a sock (or stocking) filled with ice, which you put in the back of your jersey resting on your neck and upper back. It helps to keep you from getting overheated. I was unsure if I wanted to try this, but I was also really hot, so I gave it a go - and I’m glad I did! On a really hot day, they are an absolute game changer!
Day 5: Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, AZ
The big treat for me on this day came early in our ride - we had our first state line crossing! Getting to another state really makes you feel like you’re starting to make some progress! This one was our longest ride of the tour, and another day of riding through the desert. I remember a few points early in the ride where I thought about stopping to take pictures because of some interesting cactus, but by the end I was starting to get tired of all the cacti! It was nowhere near as hot as the previous day, but today’s challenge was the wind - a strong gusty crosswind, gusting over 20 mph! Anyway, between the length of the ride and battling the wind, by the end I was ready for some rest - it’s no WONDER the video and blog post that day left so much to be desired! Although this route did have several thousand feet of climbing, it was a steady climb for the most part, ending with a steady descent at the end that lasted pretty much the entire last 8 miles. Made for a fun ending to an otherwise challenging day.
Well, I hope today’s post makes up for the three days of photo dumps, and that I will be able to continue to produce interesting and substantial posts for the upcoming week leading up to our next rest day in Santa Fe, NM. See you tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment