Disclaimer: I'm typing this on large amounts of migraine meds. I'll try to let spellcheck catch the typos and otherwise proofread, but in case other things slip through the cracks. I'm on drugs. Not my fault.
They left this morning at 7:15 am, their normal start time. They had an 86 mile ride to Gallup, NM today with 2,700' of elevation gain. It was a bright, clear day - just a little bit chilly, but he decided not to wear his jacket. (These are the kinds of details I know you're all logging on to read. "Gil passed on the jacket...tsk tsk...") Perfect biking weather. They immediately went back into wide open ranges, with some rock formations near the highway. He got a flat tire at mile five; he was with Tony and Bob (fellow Pile Drivers) and they helped him change it. The SAG van stopped and Clark (a support staff member) also helped with the tire. There were some sculptures of dinosaurs up on some of the ledges in a number of places (this is where I started to think the drugs were affecting my comprehension, but he confirmed when I read it back to him); he got pictures. None that he sent me tonight, of course. Lots of "really huge vistas where you could look across vast expanses of land."Had their first SAG stop 30 miles in, and at 52 miles stopped at a store where Native Americans were selling "stuff" and got some food there as well. Then they "just basically hauled ass to Gallup, NM" for the remaining 34 miles. (There was one other brief SAG stop, but basically they rode quite steadily.) It got a bit cooler as they got towards Gallup, which is at an elevation of
6,000+ feet. The vegetation also tended to get greener over the last 20 miles, and there were large rock mesas sculpted by the wind. My notes say "red rock kinda stuff." Take from that what you will. It was all very scenic - blue sky, white clouds, etc. Around mile 70 they stopped at the New Mexico state line and had fun taking pictures. (That's Gil in the photo to the left, being The Strongest Man in the World.)They got into Gallup at 1:30 pm (I think that's a new personal best), which was extremely good given that it was an 86 mile ride with substantial elevation gain. They had a strong tailwind all the way, which was extremely favorable (or, as my notes say, "favirabke" - goodness). They averaged roughly 17.4 mph (not bad given the hills), and often rode at 24-25 mph for significant periods of time. Beautiful countryside today. They're now in Mountain Time, so two hours behind us east-coast folks.
1 comment:
I know how migraines feel but you did well Jean. Hope you are feeling better.
I'd like to know what time the leaders arrive. Like the first arrivals at the destination. Just so that I can get a reference point as to how Gil is doing comparatively. Not that it matters but just curious.
Adeel
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