Time: 4h22m33s
Distance: 123.23km
Avg Spd: 28.2km/hr
Climbing:57m
Today started out miserably. We left camp to overcast skies and cool (~15C) temperatures. We took our time leaving, and ended up being the second last group to depart. Just over a kilometer from camp, Karel flatted from a piece of glass. It was bad enough that we needed to replace the tire, so Brandon and I rode back to camp and retrieved his spare from the gear trailer and brought it back to him.
It had started raining, so I dug through my basket and pulled out my neoprene gloves, booties and leg warmers. It was a good thing we had to go back for the tire, because it would have been really cold without all the extra gear I picked up. We ended up riding in the rain for at least two hours. But it was more than just rain - it was foggy. We could barely see 30meters in front of us. We all had our red flashing rear lights on to help the traffic see us better, but it was still a little sketchy riding on the side of the road.
After two hours, we came to the little town of Calhan and decided we needed to warm up. A few other riders had stopped at a little restaurant just off the side of the road called "Taste Buds." We sloshed inside, and unloaded our wet gear on a table already covered with wet riding gear from the group already warming up. Coffee and hot chocolates came for everyone, and we found the refrigerated display case put out some nice heat from underneath to dry our shoes and toes.
An hour and a half later, full of delicious home cooked breakfast/lunch, we paid our tab and re-donned our wet gear, bracing ourselves for the upcoming cold second half of the ride. But to our surprise, the temperature had risen and the sun was started to peek out. We rode for twenty minutes, then had to stop to shed layers.
Camp is Limon High School. We've got nice grass right off the running track, but the washrooms are miles away.
Everyone spent a good half-hour after they arrived cleaning up their bike from all the road grime that we collected on the road.
My team was on sweep duty tonight, so I've had very little time to relax and recover. Adam and I had to fire up the big BBQ and start grilling chicken around 5pm, then we served food, and finally got to eat around 6:45. After dinner we had to clean up the kitchen, then we had our peloton meeting followed by small groups. Finally, around 8:45 I had a few free minutes to collect my thoughts in my tent and write a blog. No internet here, so I'll post this next time we get it.
Tomorrow we have to ride on I-70, so the Colorado State Troopers will be joining us for breakfast at 6:30am and telling us how to ride safely on the Interstate. They might be under the impression that all 100 of us cyclists will be leaving camp and taking over the road in one big mass, but that won't be the case. Unless they insist we do so. I think we have 40 miles to ride on the highway, so there's no way we'll able to stick together for that long.
Alright. it's 9:07pm and I'm bushed. Time to call it a day. Can't believe we've started week 4 already!
No comments:
Post a Comment