Last year I posted about this same thing that ended with me looking like the elephant man from an allergic reaction... this one was better. Except I did it sick... was going to conquer this thing once and for all sick or not. Here are a few photos, and a ride breakdown enjoy.
Day One 72 miles with a 15mph tailwind all day. Good times. We broke into 2 groups after a while, our group only needed 1 stop for water. We rolled in fast and were able to set up camp and take naps before the food, beer, and rest of the riders showed up.
Day two was quite different. 28mph average headwind for 73 miles, we broke into a group of 3 off the front and a "stay together so no one dies alone" group. At about mile 40 I had to let the 2 elite racer guys go and ride at my own pace for about an hour and a half which was very trying with 20-30mph headwinds. I went about 15-20 miles through some godforsaken barren wasteland looking for a shady tree to sit under while the other group caught up... finally found one and chilled for like 45 min drinking up my water before I gave up waiting and started rolling solo again. Got an air bubble in my tire shortly after and they caught up to me as I was changing it... from there it was pure survival as we worked together to average about 13-14 mph. Total death march. We lost a few people to mechanicals, and exhaustion. But the misery just added to the sense of accomplishment.
The start.
The Terrain
The only town/store.
Last bridge before camp.
Camp.
Beginning of day 2, yours truly and the girlie getting ready to hit a big climb.
Driving Cattle.
Me and a racer/climber badass whittled down to a group of 3.
Fail.
Wont let me post any more photos
Day One 72 miles with a 15mph tailwind all day. Good times. We broke into 2 groups after a while, our group only needed 1 stop for water. We rolled in fast and were able to set up camp and take naps before the food, beer, and rest of the riders showed up.
Day two was quite different. 28mph average headwind for 73 miles, we broke into a group of 3 off the front and a "stay together so no one dies alone" group. At about mile 40 I had to let the 2 elite racer guys go and ride at my own pace for about an hour and a half which was very trying with 20-30mph headwinds. I went about 15-20 miles through some godforsaken barren wasteland looking for a shady tree to sit under while the other group caught up... finally found one and chilled for like 45 min drinking up my water before I gave up waiting and started rolling solo again. Got an air bubble in my tire shortly after and they caught up to me as I was changing it... from there it was pure survival as we worked together to average about 13-14 mph. Total death march. We lost a few people to mechanicals, and exhaustion. But the misery just added to the sense of accomplishment.
The start.
The Terrain
The only town/store.
Last bridge before camp.
Camp.
Beginning of day 2, yours truly and the girlie getting ready to hit a big climb.
Driving Cattle.
Me and a racer/climber badass whittled down to a group of 3.
Fail.
Wont let me post any more photos
