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The theme of the day today was grit. Grit brought on by early climbs that left us struggling more than we should have been, and wind. More and more and more wind. For the most part, the wind was from the south, but it still battered us along the way and provided a challenge for our 110-mile ride.
The morning presented us with rolling hills and a few climbs. And, yes, wind. We arrived at lunch at mile 55 already feeling beat up and somewhat defeated. One or two opted for the van for the next stretch. Leaving lunch, we headed south which meant we faced a dead-on headwind for the next 8 miles. As the day progressed, the temperatures increased. The combination of the wind and the heat had us consuming copious amounts of fluids. Thankfully, the guides added another rest-stop to allow us to refill our water bottles. It was much needed.
The treat of the afternoon was that we spent most of it riding through Badlands National Park. It was beautiful and a welcome change from the boring prairie roads. I’d been through the Badlands as a child but had forgotten the amazing structures they present and being able to ride through them – even if on the same road as the cars – was very special. There was something about not having glass or metal between us and the amazing natural structures that had been there for 35 million years. It was spectacularly beautiful, and it went on for what seemed like forever. I had wondered what early settlers to the area must have thought coming across the prairies with their horse and covered carriages and coming across this vast swath of canyons and monolithic rock structures in the middle of the prairies. It’s given me a great desire to learn more about their formation and history when the ride is over.
As quickly as they came upon us while riding, they ended and we were back onto the more mundane and somewhat boring, but still beautiful prairies. We were also out of the protection of the canyons and walls of rock meaning the wind had returned. As we left the park, we headed straight north providing a healthy tailwind for roughly 5 miles. Sadly, we did have to make a turn to the east and picked up the southeast wind again.
It was hot and we were tired. At this point, I was riding with one other rider – Ken. He and I took turns pulling each other along for the last 15-20 miles. The last 10 miles were a slog. It was hot. It was windy. We seemed to not be able to consume enough liquids to stay hydrated. But we knew we weren’t far from the hotel.
After what seemed like eternity, we arrived at the hotel in a little town called Kadoca which appeared to be a stop along I-90 and not much more. Those who had already arrived were equally knackered. Those who had yet to arrive expressed their disappointment in their struggles with the day. It was a gritty day for certain. It required both physical and mental toughness to keep going up and down the rolling hills battling a side wind the entire time.
We were thirsty and we were all hungry. Our dinner options were a local cafe next door or the local Subway, also next door. Subway closed at 5 pm and we had arrived at 4:30 pm. I immediately went to Subway and ordered a foot long sub. Let me be clear, never in my life have I ordered a foot long subway for myself. I ordered the grilled chicken and avocado and went back to the hotel to join the others already eating in the common breakfast area that we had overtaken with our group. I ate a few bites of my sandwich and could barely eat one half. My stomach was a little upset from the hydration and difficulty digesting anything while riding in the heat. I went upstairs to my room to shower and crawl into bed. By this time, my stomach had somewhat settled, and I finished one-half of the sandwich.
Exhausted both physically and mentally, I fell asleep around 7:30 pm having forced myself to stay awake until then. I think I must have dozed off a little now and then, but the last I recall was seeing 7:30 pm on my phone. Later in the evening, I awoke at about 10 pm thinking I had already had a full night’s worth of sleep. I was somewhat relieved to see that I still had another 7 hours left. But I was definitely hungry. I had stashed the second half of my sandwich in my fridge in my room. I retrieved it and crawled back into bed. Within about 5-10 minutes, the second half had been consumed. Sadly, I was still hungry. I had a half-eaten bag of peanut M&Ms from my jersey pocket sitting on the counter. I fetched them and polished them off as well. Somewhat satisfied at this point, I turned out the light and easily fell back asleep.
The day was over. I had made it. The day was more challenging than I anticipated when I set out in the morning. But I had experienced challenging days to date and knew that I could survive this one. It would take grit and determination, but I had that and was ready to put it to good use.
