Day 5 - Calexico to Yuma - A milestone passed

In 2019 this is the stretch that Rick broke his wrist. We safely passed that point and celebrated with a toast from our water bottles. We started the day with a head wind and thanks to Rick and Pat Man, I made great time. Later, we rode on some of the worst roads I have ever been on. We spent about 8 miles on Interstate 8 again with the shoulders having what I would call frost heaves if we were in Michigan. Some of the heaves were even 3 inches high. “Bottom” line - whining all around.

We got off the Interstate to go the “Center of the World” (really) and the road got even worst. 


After lunch at the Center the ride into Yuma was uneventful except it got into the upper-80s. 




Tomorrow is another hot, and longer ride to Dateland, AZ.

The beauty of this event is of course the bike riding, and also, the people and the varied and unique experiences. Last evening we stayed at a clothing optional resort. This evening we are staying in the gym of a Seventh Day Adventist Church. 


                                                

Today
Miles Rode:66.02
Elevation Gain (feet):988
Pedaling Time:5:11
Average Speed (mph): 12.7
Maximum Speed (mph)24.2

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Days 20 - 21 - Van Horne to Marfa to Marathon - High winds OMG!!

Image
The winds only increased in severity. The Wolfpack, the crew that sets up and tears down the tents, struggled to set up the tents. Finally, they gave up and we stopped in a motel in Marfa. The staff is great. Think of what they had to do to find housing for 50-55 people. They did an amazing job. We all had a warm bed. We are now in a motel & RV park in Marathon. Rick and I are sharing a room with another couple and everyone else tents. How nice.  Today was Laundry Day. This ride is unique in that they do our laundry about every four to five days. That is such a luxury. This is the only cross country ride that does laundry that I am aware of. It means on rest days that we can relax and be tourists. We don’t have to do laundry. We sort the laundry into bins or into laundry bags. Those bins leave at 7:00 a.m. and at the end of the day everything magically returns clean. Some folk have various methods for keeping it organized. I just remember how biking kits (outfits) I wore and le...
Read more

Preparations - Bike and Body

Image
  First, the Bike The preparations started, sort of, when I purchased my new bike, a Trek Domane with disc brakes, electronic shifting and carbon frame and wheels. Here I am (March 2019) the proud owner of the new bike I named Zin. (The bike is purple. Zin is short for Zinfandel, one of my most favorite wines. Zinfandel grapes have a dark purple skin. The name makes sense to me.) Once the snow melted and the temperature rose above 40 F, I had to take it for its shakedown ride. Verdict - Sweet!!!!! Then, the Body Now I had to get into endurance biking shape. Getting into shape and climbing the mountains was what made me the most nervous about this adventure. In addition to getting in as many miles as I could outdoors, I did three things. I started training at a studio called    PowerCycling in Ann Arbor. The training program is individualized to your needs and goals. The owner/trainer, Marc, keeps a detailed log of all workouts and has incrementally challenged me over tim...
Read more

Day 7 - Dateland to Gila Bend - Amazingly Tough

Image
This was a short day (50 miles), but hard. Yesterday’s tailwind shifted to the north and then to the northeast. We were headed east. Yuck. We spent about 20 miles on Interstate 8 and so there was no drafting during the toughest part of the day.  Today Ride Total Miles Rode: 49.67 361.98 Elevation Gain (feet): 636 11984 Pedaling Time: 4:08 3:14 Average Speed (mph):  12 Maximum Speed (mph) 17.9
Read more