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Almost 1/2 way! Woot woot! It is hard to believe we are at Day 23 already.
Today was a surprisingly easier day than yesterday, but also somewhat expected to be that way. The trend, I have found, has been that we tend to have a challenging day followed by an easier day. Nothing like a 112.5 mile ‘recovery day’. Oddly, that’s what today felt like. It didn’t have to be that way as we are still in South Dakota, and we discovered that South Dakota is exceptionally good at producing wind. We were blessed with an almost non-existent side-wind from the south making the ride manageable and, aside from the gently rolling hills, comfortable. The overall trend was a loss of elevation and while our legs gave us the odd groan at some of the longer or steeper rolling hills, we could feel the forgiving downhill trend on the back half of the day.
Temperatures were warm, but not as warm as yesterday and we had a slightly overcast sky keeping the sun at bay with the complete lack of any shade. Our lunch was eaten next to the kitchen support truck with seats lining the side of the truck to capture any shaded relief from the sunlight even if only for a few minutes while eating.
The scenery was beautiful with the rolling hills and cattle dotting the landscape. It did, however, get old very quickly and we focused less on the scenery and more on how we rode together to make the day easier, and the time pass more quickly. Our group worked exceptionally well as a team today. There were mostly four of us riding together – the OG – otherwise known as the Cokeheads and the Queen. Again, the Cokeheads because three of the four of us consume Coca-Cola on our rest stops for both fluids and a jolt of sugar. Queen because I was Queen of the Mountain on our climb up and over Big Horn Pass.
I’ve never been a soft drink person, and the carbonation in sparkling water doesn’t agree with me while riding. I did, however, enjoy a double-shot Starbucks vanilla espresso drink from a filling station about 75 miles into the ride. Unable to finish it all before we hit the road after the rest stop, my fellow riders placed it one of my back pockets of my jersey. About 10 miles later, I decided it was time to consume more of the drink, but couldn’t finish it all at once, so I carefully placed it inside the front of my jersey. Had I had a straw, I could have easily sipped it without using my hands. When we arrived at the rest stop by mile 95, all that was left was an empty can.
Our group took turns pulling our short pace-line with each of us taking a mile out front and the remaining three drafting. Being able to draft for three miles and pull for a mile allowed us to work efficiently and give our legs an easier day. We averaged about 16.1 mph on the day over 112.5 miles. We aren’t the fastest of the groups, but we do get the job done and work together exceptionally well.
We arrived at the hotel feeling considerably better than the day before. There was a nice indoor pool, so I took advantage of the early arrival just after 4 pm and stood in the cool water of the pool to give my legs a bit of an ice bath.
The name of the game tonight, however, was dinner at Al’s Oasis – a kitschy restaurant next door that served our hungry stomachs very well. Five of us went over together at 5:30 pm already ravenous from the long day. We ate an order of fried cheese curds, nachos, spinach dip and a hummus and chips plate to start. Some had sandwiches, and some had walleye (pickerel). I opted for the 12 oz rib eye steak with a baked potato and green beans. I ate every morsel of that steak, 1/2 my potato and all the green beans. The restaurant was apparently known for their pies in which a piece of every type of yummy homemade pie they made was slowly turning to tempt us from every angle. Thankfully, we all liked a different type of pie so we ended up with pumpkin pie, banana cream pie, coconut cream pie – and another that I can’t recall. I ordered chocolate silk pie – but they were out, so opted for apple pie a la mode instead. The pie was delicious, and I ate almost all of my apple pie – and I had a taste of everyone else’s pie.
I’ve been a tad worried about losing weight on this trip. I started 20 lbs. lighter than I was a year ago and we’ve been burning 2000-4000 calories on our rides, in addition to just existing. I’ve been eating well and consistently throughout the day but have had to increase my consumption to keep my weight – and my energy level – up. Tonight, after 112.5 miles on the bike, I did not hold back. Not one bit. Nor did I the entire day after consuming a three-egg omelet with bacon and an English muffin for breakfast. Add to that the two and a half PB&J sandwiches consumed on the ride, plus a banana and a sizable taco and side salads at lunch with two two-bite brownies before heading back out on the road. I also had my double-shot Starbucks drink and a recovery shake when we finished our ride. It was a healthy day of eating. Oh, I also just snuck a few gummy bears I keep in a bag in my jersey pocket if I get hungry between rest stops or feel my energy waning. I call them my sugar-bombs.
Tomorrow, we have 76 miles on tap which should have us into our next destination by mid-day or early afternoon. It’s hard to believe that riding a 76-mile day would be considered an ‘easy’ day. I’m glad to be gaining strength as we ride so that I can feel that way about those lighter days. No worries, we have another one the next day… and then we ride 127 miles the following day, so we’ll be back up in the miles again before we know it.