Day Thirteen – Helena to Three Forks

Today was an 88-mile recovery day. Yes, you read that right. 88 miles and recovery in the same sentence. The theme of the day was nice surprises.

We had a nice little climb of what we thought was six miles around mile 20. We were pleasantly surprised when we were about four miles into the climb thinking we still had two miles left to go and realized that we had reached the top. I was downright giddy and blasted my way down the descent on the other side in spite of it being an interstate. 

The ride was lovely, and we had little to no wind to contend with, unlike yesterday which made it pleasant and easier on the legs. The scenery was spectacular and provided beautiful vistas around nearly ever curve. I believe that today was some of the most beautiful scenery we’ve encountered thus far. 

Mentally, having a relatively easy 88-mile day, followed by the 40 miles and change tomorrow is good. We have a few more challenging century rides ahead of us and getting the mind feeling good and the body feeling good before then has been really helpful today.

While the day started in the mid-50s, it did warm up and was warm and in the high 80s when we arrived in the afternoon. I felt a little flat toward of the ride, but that may have been the heat and the 88 miles – oh, and the 116 miles the day before. Even still, I keep on riding.

Today was a good day and it was nice to arrive at the hotel feeling human. The hotel is a charming older mansion style hotel in the small town of Three Forks. They have done an amazing job with the details of the hotel and even handed us cold towels when we arrived. 

I am looking forward to a delicious dinner, maybe a glass of wine, and a great sleep tonight followed by an easy ride into Bozeman tomorrow so we can enjoy a relaxing afternoon in a great little town.