So, what keeps a bicyclist motivated during a bad ride? I was asking you because sometimes I'm not sure! Today was quite possibly the worst, nay, it was the worst biking day I have ever had. That is saying a little something because I have been biking for a long, long time.
The route was laid out as a straight shot from Mithcell to Chamberlain, East to West. The terrain from Mitchell to Kimball was almost perfectly flat, which gave the 25 MPH headwind from the West an unimpeded path, acting as a virtual "wall" of wind the whole way. The wind did not let up after Kimball, but thankfully the terrain became more hilly so at least we had something to break up the unrelenting stretches of wind, wind, wind.
The rest stops were all situated in towns along the way, starting with Mt. Vernon, then Plankinton, White Lake, Kimball, Pukwana and finally Chamberlain. The stops were fairly evenly spaced, at about 12 miles between each. With the wind, it took us 2 hours to get from stop to stop! Our average speed today was a paltry 8.4 MPH! We left Mitchell at exactly 6:00 AM, and pulled in to Chamberlain at 5:45 PM, nearly 12 hours later! Of that 12 hours, we spent just over 9 hours actually pedaling!
One bright spot is the knowledge that we finished every mile. The SAG vehicles were so busy hauling riders to Chamberlain that the Argus Leader actually had to rent 2 school buses to accommodate all the saggers! We haven't heard any final numbers, but of the 450 riders that started this leg, there can't be too many of us that actually finished.
Needless to say, we are a little worn out tonight. We took alternating dips in the whirlpool and regular pool while enjoying some adult beverages, and had a nice meal at a local joint called the Anchor Grille. As soon as this post is published, we are going down for the night so we are well rested for tomorrow's leg.
Tomorrow's route preview: 53 miles *yippee!*, but mostly uphill to Highmore. For those of you familiar with the Bridges & Bluffs tour, you know what the first leg of tomorrow's route is going to be like. All reports indicate that we should have a nice tail wind most of the day ;-)
That's all for now. Enjoy your Tuesday, and we'll check in again tomorrow evening.
Kyle & Wags.
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