Day 16 - Greenville OH to Athens OH

Long hot and HUMID day of riding. Ended up being 172 miles. I rode with Jon. I felt bad he pulled most of the day. He said I was too small to get any draft. The rest stops were increased due to the heat so that we could refill our water bottles with ice and fluids. That was nice. From mile 125 on we had a lot of climbing. We rode through Hocking Hills which was quite hilly. The ride was pretty though. I didn't have my camera because of the weather prediction for rain showers. The last 4miles we finished on a bike path that ran along the Ohio University campus.

We rode through many small towns all decorated with flags for Memorial Day. We were hoping to happen upon a parade, but there were none to be found.

The next two days will be brutal. Tomorrow we ride from Athens to Elkins W VA. Lots of climbing. So much, I don't want to look at the cue sheet profile. Rumor has it, Wed will be worse.

Tonight I have my own room at the hotel. It's wonderful. Since one of the guys abandoned today, his room was available tonight. Too late to cancel the room so they gave Lara and I our own. First time I have watched television since the tour began. I don't know how to act.

Time for bed. Breakfast in the parking lot tomorrow at 5:30 and pull out at 6:00. Thanks again for the continued support via emails and texts. They are real pick me ups.

Day what?

I made a mistake. Today we rode from Crawfordsville IN to Greenville OH not Athens OH. Tomorrow we will ride to Athens. It will not be easy. The last 20 miles are straight up. I'm hoping I'll have some legs to make the climb without falling over. One stroke at a time is all I ask and staying safe. I'm trying to stay calm and not fret too much. Four days left. The next three will be very tough.

Today's ride was very flat. 140 miles. Rode with Jon, John and Len most of the day at a relaxed pace. We finished early, before 4:00. It was great. I actually had time to organize my stuff and have a leisurely dinner. Mexicican fare in the hotel restaurant with some of the riders and crew. Tomorrow will be a long day of 176 miles. We're starting the ride at 6:00am to beat some of the heat. Thunder storms are predicted for late afternoon. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. Keep energetic positive thoughts. I'll need them.

No pictures today. Sorry.

Got chocolate milk?

Day 14 - Effingham IL to Crawfordsville IN

Today was a relatively flat day. We climbed less than 3,000 ft for the day. 159 miles with a 10mph headwind. I rode with the "A" group today. We rotated pulls throughout the ride. I think I was only able to stay with them because they were in "recovery" mode. Their recovery is an all out sprint for me. Hopefully there will still be some gas in the tank tomorrow when we ride from Crawfordsville to Athens OH. Tomorrow will be our last "easy" day before we start climbing again. I have already booked my last two massages anticipating the horrific days of climbing ahead. West Virginia will be a bear. I hope the descents will be kinder without the gusting crosswinds we had in CO.

We were lucky to get rooms tonight in Indiana. The Indy 500 is this weekend and everyone is sold out. Some riders who have single rooms had to double up. Tomorrow we actually have an extra half hour before taking off. Sweet. And breakfast in the hotel restaurant. A buffet. No eating out in the parking lot in the morning. What a luxury.

No pictures of landscapes today. We saw a lot of corn though.

5 more days.

Arch in St Louis

The Pedal Bike Shop in Sorento

Day 13 - Murphy's Law

Today was touted to be a short easy day (144 miles)from St Louis to Effingham IL. We started out at 6:00am to get through the city ahead of the traffic. It was to be picture day as well. We set out as a group at a leisurely pace and stopped down by the river with the arch in the background for a group shot. Then we got on the Riverfront trail and rode over to the bridge crossing the Mississippi for our individual photos that will be mounted on a plaque at the end of the tour. Jon had a streak of flats enroute to the bridge so I waited for him so he wouldn't have to ride alone. Everyone was a good 10 - 15 min ahead of us once we started back on the course. Then the trouble began. We missed an unmarked turn and rode an extra 4 miles to get back on course. We made it to the rest stop, but everyone was gone except for Mike from Ohio. He too had missed a turn. The three of us ventured off once our water bottles were refilled. As we rode on we realized we should have passed Fruit Rd which was our turn. We missed it and had to retrace our path 7 miles. By this point we knew we couldn't catch the group and now it was just a question of making it to the next rest stop before they closed and more importantly lunch. Mike backed off as he had decided to take the century a day option after the first few days of the tour and would be sagging in at the lunch stop. Jon and I pushed on, stressed we wouldn't make it to lunch for fuel. We made it to lunch with 10 minutes to spare. John Newton another rider was taking it easy and still at lunch when we arrived. He rode with us the last 42 miles to the hotel. It was a long day that wasn't expected to be. Bonus miles for Jon and I today. No prize for that. Tomorrow we ride to Indiana. I'll be back on eastern time. Yippee!

Getting very tired of fast food for dinner. Getting very tired of eating.

Bridge in Missouri

Day 12 - Meet me in St Louis

Day 12. We made it to St Louis. 177 miles. We had to ride a stretch on a limestone bike trail due to traffic. The traffic was terrible and loads of road construction to boot. It was quite scary the last 50 miles. Lon threw in a 15% climb at the end of the day which was brutal. Good thing I had my triple. I used every gear I had to make it up the "hill."

I got to see friends this evening too. Walt is a doctor here in St Louis. I haven't seen him in over 20 years. He and his wife Carla and their two children Holly and Josh visited with me which was wonderful.

Tomorrow we ride to Effingham IL. A shorter day on the bike so I should have time to post some pictures. It should be a flat day of riding through the corn fields.

Closing for now. Breakfast is at 5:30 tomorrow and take off at 6 to beat the traffic out of town.

Day 11 - Pratt KS to Osage Beach MO

Day 11 was hard. A lot of suffering. The heat and humidity was off the charts and we had long rollers all day. Flying descents at 28 mph and then immediately climbing at 9 mph. Awful. My legs were shot by the time I finished. We covered 185miles. 177 miles on the cue sheet for day 12. I rode with Jon from IL on day 11. I don't think I could have finished without him. It was a tough day. By the end of the day I couldn't shift from my middle to big chain ring. I hit a rock in the road which blew out my front tire and sent me over the road, but I managed to maintain the bike without crashing. It's been a hard few days of mishaps.

Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement. You have no idea how much they help.

Reminder to Lynn from Joy-

Not sure when you will finish the ride on June 3 but hey-five seemed good- Remember-It's FIVE O'clock somewhere!

Day 10 - Woo hoo!

9 more days to go. We're over halfway there. We rode from Pratt KS to Yates Center KS today. It was raining and windy this morning but miraculously it stopped raining at 6:30am just in time to start the ride. The roads were wet and sandy. There were multiple flat tires among the riders today. I'm not sure what the final tally was, but I figure it was at least 20. The vans were busy assisting riders on the side of the road all day. Fortunately I didn't flat, but I know my day is coming. Three miles into the ride my bike caught the edge of a RR track and I fell hard on my right side. Now I am symetrical with my bruising. I have a nice large bruise on my hip. I'm thankful I didn't break my collar bone. My derailler was shoved in so Lon got out his tools at the first rest stop 25 miles down the road. Lon can fix ANYTHING.

It was 177 miles day. Quite warm and sticky. I rode with Jon from IL this afternoon. When we arrived at the hotel this evening, the crew cleaned our bikes because of the dirt and muck from the roads. The elite crew is great. They do our laundry and now clean our bikes when it rains. Wonderful.

Sorry for the brevity of this entry. Must go to bed as tomorrow we ride to MO 185 miles and lots of big hills. I'm tired. Thanks again for all the support. You guys are GREAT!

Wind and more wind

On day 8 we rolled into Kansas and the central time zone. I'm getting closer to the east coast. Yea! The day was endless miles of grasslands. The road seemed to stretch forever, just like the desert. No houses or businesses, just grass. And wind, lots of wind. 30 mph cross winds with temperatures in the 90's. We covered 193 miles. When Andrew the aussie and I arrived at the hotel the wind had picked up considerably. The last 19 miles were brutal. I had a lot of difficulty keeping my bike upright with the gusts pushing me towards the center of the road. I held an 8'o clock position next to the aussie which helped block some of the force. Susan was in the parking lot breaking down the lunch trailer and offered to make us smoothies which we accepted without hesitation. She makes sure I have food at the end of the day if I'm hungry and always has chocolate milk at the rest stops. I don't know why I'm the only one that wants chocolate milk. It's a fabulous recovery drink. Makes me feel refreshed. Ulysses Kansas was our sleepover stop. Nothing in Ulysses except a McDonald's and a Pizza Hut. Day 9 is Ulysses to Pratt. Pratt? What's in Pratt?

So day 9 started off with a forecast of storms for the day. Great. I shoved my rain jacket into my jersey pocket and hoped for the best. The day began with overcast skies, clouds and WIND. A few sprinkles in the morning, but nothing that warranted doning the rain jacket. The winds picked up and crossed over throughout the day. I rode with the tandem and the aussie. We rode in an echelon as much as the roads would allow when there was no traffic. That helped break the wind. Once on the main highway after the lunch stop it was impossible due to traffic and those irritating bumbles on the shoulder. We got caught in rain and hail the last 30 miles of the ride, but nothing long. The temperature was in the 80's so at least we didn't get cold. Once we arrived at the hotel (Days Inn) in Pratt KS, I cleaned my bike, pumped up my tires and proceeded to haul my bike up to my room. Oh no, second floor again?

The Wal-mart is right next door so I walked over to pick up some dinner and other items I was running in low supply. Wal-mart in Pratt KS is just like anyother Wal-mart except this one wasn't crowded. How refreshing.

Today was 150 miles. Tomorrow we will ride to Yates Center KS (177 miles). Will we ever get through Kansas? I'm hoping for warm temperatures and NO wind. I'll try and take some pictures tomorrow. I didn't want to get my camera wet today so I left it packed. You can also go to www.pactour.com under the elite tour and view pictures that Susan takes everyday. We're almost halfway. I can't believe this is my vacation.

Day 7 picture before the descent

On way to Trinidad near Fort Garland

Day 6 and Day 7

Sorry I'm late entering day 6. It was a somewhat difficult and scary day on the bike. A shorter day of 144 miles from Durango to Monte Vista. After 90 miles of riding with up and down terrain, we climbed to the Wolf Creek Pass. It was an 8 mile steady climb. Elevation was 10,550 ft. I could have used some oxygen when I got to the top. The lunch truck was set up and the crew served us quiche, salads and hot chocolate. There was snow too. Then came the descent into town. 25 miles down with gusting wind. It was frightening for me. Once at the bottom at South Fork, I had 21 miles left of riding to get to Monte Vista. I rode solo from the Wolf Creek Pass into Monte Vista. I was pretty emotional by the time I finished with the wind beating me up most of the way, but the guys were supportive and gave me encouraging hugs. I could only think of what day 7 would have in store, but before I get to that let me tell you about our hotel.

We stayed at the Best Western Movie Manor just outside of Monte Vista. The only restaurant is at the hotel. The menu was dated, but the food was good. Joleen was our waitress and took exceptional care of us or rather the guys I was eating with. I didn't seem to much matter. The hotel rooms are named after hollywood stars. My room was the Ingrid Bergman room. At night they show movies outside where everyone from Monte Vista and Del Norte come for date night I guess. It's actually a drive in movie theater. All we had to do was open our curtains and turn on the sound in our rooms and watch. Kinda fun.

Now Day 7 - UGH!!!!! History breaking ride of the Elite tour.

The day started out sunny and windy. I tucked in behind Andrew the aussie and we trudged forward. We had two passes today and I was already concerned about the descents with the wind. Yesterday was tough in the wind and today was anticipated to be worse. We climbed the first pass (La Veta)with a tailwind. I've never climbed so fast with the wind literally pushing me up. Then came one of the PAC sag vehicles to alert us that the winds were gusting and to be careful on the 10 mile descent. I began to panic as the wind was pulling me into traffic. Andrew told me to go slow and to take my time. He followed behind me. It was terrifying. Between begging God for survival and screaming I knew I was going to have trouble. The wind was gusting up to 50mph and I was barely able to stay upright. Then one gust was so strong it pushed me off the road and I knew if I didn't ditch I'd go over the embankment. So I crashed and managed to stop skidding within a foot of the edge. Andrew later said as he watched he wasn't sure how he was going to get me up the drop if I had gone over. he sat with me until I could get my nerve back. I walked a couple hundred yards until I felt like I could ride again. It was the worst ride of my life. Once we got to the La Veta picnic area, the Pac sag vehicles were there as were the other riders. They came over grabbed me and hustled me to the van as today was the day that everyone on the tour was sagged to the hotel for safety. One other rider was pushed into a guard rail. He is the top rider of the group and he's the one that alerted the directors that it was too dangerous to ride. Lon is a RAAM official and made the call to abort today's ride with no penalty to us for qualifying.

So today ended up being a rest day for us with only 76 miles of riding. Tomorrow is 193 miles with wind. Hopefully it will be manageable, but if it's too dangerous they will sag us in again. Quite a day. I have some road rash to show for my effort, but nothing severe.

Keep those positive thoughts.

Monument Valley

Day 5 Kayenta to Durango CO

Beautiful day of riding. Monument Valley was spectacular. Gorgeous views. I tried to take pictures while I was on the bike. I started off riding with Andrew the awesome aussie. He felt ill after lunch at mile 82.7 so I had to forge on solo for the next 50 miles. Luckily I managed to catch up to John, Jon and Randy at the Dairy Queen in Cortez and latched onto their wheels the remaining 44 miles. It was a hard day of riding with a lot of climbing. I think everyday is going to be a lot of climbing at this rate. We had a 9 mile 6% grade descent into Durango though. That was sweeeeet.

Tomorrow is a shorter day so hopefully I'll get in earlier. Thanks again everyone for the continued support. You guys are the best.

Pictures from Day 4

Day 4 - Flagstaff to Kayenta AZ

Kayenta is part of the Navejo Nation It is located south of the Monument Valley which is directly across form our hotel.

Today was touted as a recovery day, but it was anything but that. Stiff headwinds and cross winds that made me feel as if I was going to be lifted up off my bike at any moment. The big transfer trucks didn't help matters. We rode on hwy 89 and 160 the entire day. Long endless stretches of highway with no trees to shield the relentless wind. I rode with John from Chicago the whole day. My back knotted up from all of the bracing. It was a long day, but we finished earlier than the past two days giving me some time to rest. I had a delicious dinner at Burger King as there are only three fast food restaurants in town. I even had french fries for the calories, grease and salt. They were delicious as I haven't induged in a long time. What have I been missing?

Tomorrow we leave for Durango CO. We should have some beautiful scenery. We will enter the mountain time zone tomorrow so I'll be just two hours behind everyone on the east coast. Getting a little closer to home.

We have had one rider to go home. Lenny from New Jersey cracked a rib and left this morning. He will rejoin us at the end of the ride in Williamsburg for the banquet. We hated to see him leave. I rode with Lenny on the Southern Tour in 2008.

Here are some pictures from today. One is of John, Randy and I after we finished today. The other pictures are of the lunch truck and riding down the road towards Kayenta.

Thanks Mt Vernon!! I'm eating my chocolate bar right now. Wonderful.

Day 3 - Wickenburg to Flagstaff

This was only day 3 and I am feeling toasted. We climbed 13,000 ft today. Lots of switchbacks throughout the day. Brutal on tired legs from yesterday's sufferfest. Serious descending after lunch from the summit...Mingus Mountain into Jerome. I did this same descent in 2008 on the Southern tour, but it was much windier today and not enjoyable. I was going near 40 plus mph clutching my brakes.

The scenery was gorgeous when I had an opportunity to take my eyes off the road. The traffic was tense through Sedona with curvy narrow roads. Seems like the roads so far have not been ideal. A lot of riding on the interstate.

I have met some really nice people on this tour. Yeaterday and today I rode with Randy from VA, Rob from MN (fellow randonneurs) and John from IL. I hope they will continue to let me latch on and ride with them.

I'm sorry for the shortness of my entries. I'm just so tired by the end of the day that it's hard to get everything done before the next morning. We typically eat breakfast in the parking lot at 6:00, load our bags at 6:25, start riding at 6:30. My evening is spent organizing my clothes for the next day, grabbing some food and going to bed. Eat, ride, sleep is what my days will consist of for the next 16 days.

Tomorrow Flagstaff to Kayenta. Yee ha!

Day 2 - Holy moly

Ugh. I will update tomorrow on my 220 mile ride. Here's a picture after the ride of Susan (Pac director) and myself.

Bicycles ready for day 1

Day 1

Day 1 is done. 126 miles from San Diego to El Centro. We battled head winds and cross winds and some heat through the Yuha desert. Everyone took it easy today. Tomorrow will be the tough one. Breakfast in the parking lot at 3:00am and start the ride at 3:30 in order to get through the desert and cover the 220 miles from El Centro to Wickenburg AZ. It will be a long day.

I'm getting ready to get some supper. Walking somewhere with my roommate and her tandem partner. Not many choices for food in El Centro. There's a Denny's, Del Taco and KFC. Oh well. I also have a pbj sandwich and banana in case I get hungry later. We have to eat a lot to fuel ourselves for the back to back days of riding. I'm having trouble already eating enough.

I will try to post tomorrow, but if not it's only because I was too tired and late finishing the ride.

Thank you Mt Vernon School for your great cards. You're the best. Made my day when I finished. I'll try and get some pictures and post for you tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for the support.

San Diego ride to the beach

I am here in San Diego. I arrived late yesterday and managed to get my bike reassembled just in time before going out to dinner with some of the crew and early rider arrivals. We had mexican which I imagine will be the food of choice over the next 19 days.

This morning we rode to the beach for a hearty breakfast. Looks good doesn't it? Too much for me to finish, but I gave it a good try. It's cloudy and overcast this morning with a temperature of 59 degrees. Where's the heat? I'm in California!

In a few minutes I will wander over to the parking lot and officially check in. After that I have time to relax until the rider's meeting at 3:30 and a banquet to follow at 5:00. Bed after that as tomorrow is the start of the "fun." We will ride from San Diego to El Centro. Day 2 will be the test starting at 3:00am in order to beat the heat and cover 220 miles. What have I signed up for?

ELITE TOUR BEGINS

AND SHE'S OFF....(DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO COMMENT TO LYNN)

Soooo, Lynn is probably in the air by the time you are reading this. She's flying out this morning and seems to be very excited and ready to go.

I will only occasionally be entering information for my friend, Lynn- as she has been a very good student and with only a few sessions over lunch at Panera Bread- She has mastered the internet blogging world. I will only be her back up.

If anyone is not certain as to how to enter a comment for Lynn. Remember, you must first sign up for a free email (google account- GMAIL account). Do this by simply going to google.com and in the upper right corner you will see sign in. Click it. Then you will see create an account (under the sign in)- Click on it - There you can enter information-Remember young folks- You should probably use mostly fictitious information and/or "nicknames" or only real first names-fake last names! This is a dangerous world. Listen to your teacher's directions on this.

Once you have that done, it should be very simple to comment. Just go back to the blog and go ahead and choose to POST COMMENT then write your comment and when you go to post it -it will ask you which medium or something like that- choose from drop down box the "google account" as your medium and it will then automatically take you to sign in on your google acct. Once signed in you can preview and/or post your comment to Lynn.

I know she enjoys our comments so let's keep her encouraged as she dares to- once again- even at her age ;) -- complete this incredible and more ELITE TOUR across the USA.
Always standing by - Joy

5 days and counting