Indio to Blythe, Calif. -----Blythe Calif to Wickenburg, Ariz--- Wickenburg to Prescott, Ariz
Miles: 101.7 ---116.7 ---42.9 part of 59
Time: 6:35 ---8:18--- 3:54
Total ascent: 3022ft ----3217--- 3328
Aver Speed: 14.5--- 14.0--- 11.0
Max Speed: 27.6 ---26.5 ---32.8
Est Calories: 6788 ---7762--- 3367
I am fortunate enough to have a roomie with a computer, but the last few days have been so long that by the time he was done with his blog, I was in a comma.
Day 2 was an obstacle course. Truck tire shrapnel everywhere. We were on Interstate 10 most of the day, and the pieces of the blown truck tires were everywhere. You were constantly dodging wires, rubber, and various sundry other metal parts that find themselves flying off trucks at one time or another. Flats were the order of the day. Some folks have multiples. I had a two-fer. I have two shards of wire in the same tire, but only one flat: one imbedded, and one long piece flopping along on the outside of my tire like a small pig's tail. Fun!!! The heat didn't help things. We heard many different temperatures up to 109 degrees. Regardless, once over a hundred, IT'S HOT. The "breezes" were like standing behind a tow-motor with the engine running.
Day 3 was a bit better from a temperature stand point(still a hundred or better), but longer. This was the longest day of the tour (115I really didn't think that a couple of degrees made a difference once you were over a hundred, but surprisely, it did. Plus, moving into Arizona give us a bit more vegetation, and overall a bit more scenery. Where there some growing crops being watered in couple of places upwind, we got a "cool" breeze.
Day 4 I had a bout with Montazuma's revenge. I barely made it to the 42 mile mark and SAGged in from there. So, I gave up the "no flat" bragging rights yesterday, and gave up the "no SAG" today. I hope things will be better for tomorrow, but right now I'm still alittle weak. Even as things were getting bad, I had the pleasure of grinding up the steepest climb to date, with grades 8% range for 7.6 miles. We've have had many other longer climbs but less steap, like 11 miles, in the 1 to 4% range of grades. Too bad I wasn't feelling better, because we did go through a nice valley with horses, and crops, but I really wasn't up to spectating, just getting the day over.
These longer climbs are just crinders. We had a number of those today along with false flats (seem flat but are 1-3 grades)and false tops,(that climb after you think your at the top) as well as the BIG BOY. All in all, inclines that keep on giving. Two more days of climbing before our first rest day on Sunday. See ya..................
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Glad to see you guys out there. Certainly sounds like a hard ride. Gonna make the 500 mile AH ride seem like a walk in the park. I hope that the weather (and your stomach) improve as you head East. It seems to me that the wind is always coming out of the West, so maybe there is a tail wind to be found somewhere.
ReplyDeleteBe safe.
Mike
Ah, the Montezuma revenge. Well, as we learned on a previous AH trip, lots of pink liquids for you, Tom.
ReplyDeleteOne forgets that crossing the country, one goes from sea level to over a mile high even going through the Rockies rather than over them. The good part is that at some point one goes downhill!
Keep on pedaling and keep on writing, Tom. And stay healthy.
Moore
Hope you are feeling better and back in the game! (not that you ever left it) You're a real trooper!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the going is a little rough. Hope your feel better. You know what they say about the heat out west in the desert. It's a dry heat 115 is just like 90 at home. NOT. Keep your spirits up and your dew rag wet.
ReplyDelete