Daily Summary

B_R_U_T_A_L_!!

I got up at 4:30 to make 5:15 breakfast to start at 6:00. It was 50ish and rainy, with rain expected on and off all day. It was warm enough that I was fine all day once I got moving. Just a little chilly.

You can see my rain outfit and how the start looked. After 10 miles, I got rid of the rain pants because they had too much wind resistance.  I decided it was warm enough I could get my legs wet. A few hours later, I did the same and ditched my rain jacket for my tight windproof jacket to reduce drag.

The winds started out a bit diagonal to our front. After a little while, they were hitting us head on and increasing in strength. For most of the ride, winds were at 15 mph+- with very frequent gusts in the 20-25 mph range. This made it MUCH harder to ride. After a few hours, as the wind picked up, we were down to less than 10 miles per hour!

For contrast, in Wyoming there was a day with similar tail winds where we averaged 23 – 24 mph for a few hours with minimal effort. I was trying hard and getting barely 1/3 of that. That meant that it felt like we were going up a moderate hill all the time. Even on downhills I had to pedal. The van had to do unplanned stops because it was taking us 2.5 hours between planned stops instead of the usual 75 – 80 minutes.

A couple guys dropped out at mile 43. We moved lunch there from mile 63 since we were so slow. A few more guys dropped out at mile 63. A few of us continued. The guides said we could only have another hour or so because we were too far behind schedule.

When we got to the van at mile 72, we had slowed even more and the last 3 of us jumped in the van. At the pacing we were doing, it would have taken us another 5 hours of pedaling at least, plus break time in addition, to get to the finish. We didn’t have enough daylight or enough energy. 

So, after almost 6.5 hours of pedaling (8 hours with breaks and lunch) and covering barely 72 miles, the day was over. The 115 target just wasn’t going to happen for anyone today. 

This was actually the hardest day of the tour for me I think. Even days with lots of climbing offered downhills and flat sections to get a break. The headwinds just made it a continuous slog.

It was an interesting way to spend Father’s Day!

The Sights And Hotel

There weren’t too many sites other than clouds and fields. Oddly, there were goats hanging out at the entrance to the one convenience store we passed. I have no idea why.

There was also an attraction called 1880 Town. Not sure what it was.

You can see a picture of my bike getting put on the van with the others. Between the van and trailer, they can get everyone’s bike up. It was a good thing since today nobody got past mile 72!

We’re at a nice resort hotel by the Missouri River tonight. I included a picture from the back patio outside the restaurant. They had a hot tub and sauna and so I made use of that.