Today was my hardest day thus far. When we started riding in the morning, there was a constant drizzle, against an aggressive head wind, on not the best roads, climbing up hills. We passed the Amistad Reservoir while it was drizzling, so I missed that great photo opportunity. The reservoir is almost 65,000 acres of surface area with a maximum depth of 217 ft. Throughout the entire day we fought the wind; the rain stopped after about 25 miles. After our lunch stop at Rudy’s BBQ, the traffic really picked up on US 90 and we had to ride the shoulder most of the rest of the day. The shoulder is really not meant for road bikes with skinny tires. My knees hurt from all the rattling, my legs are tired from all the climbing and my shoulders ache as well. Thank goodness just one more riding day until the next off day! I will sleep well tonight.
Not many pictures today due to rain and poor road conditions.
The last two riders in were Sue and Ray; they rode it at 7:26 pm. That is almost twelve hours on the bike. Now that is determination!! And if you have forgotten from an earlier blog, Sue is the oldest rider on the tour as she turns 79 next month.
Tonight at dinner Bubba surprised crew member Zach – it was his birthday. Zach received a giant bottle of Ranch dressing because he puts it on everything!
Stats from the day:
Start city: Comstock, TX
End city: Bracketville, TX
Miles: 74.35
Total miles to date: 1328.68
Pedaling time: 6 hours, 27 minutes
Avg. speed: 11.5
Feet climbed: 3,657
Fatigue factor: 9 out of 10 (10 is the worst);
Wind: start: ESE 12 mph; end SE 12 mph
Road condition: 3 out of 5 (1 is the worst) first 40; 2 out of 5 last 34
Temperature extremes: 67 at ride start, 88 at ride finish
Another picture for Charlotte.
Sue and Ray rolled in after dinner was served, however our chef Anne, was sure to save them some plates.
Zach receiving his Ranch dressing. The "Wolf Pack" also had a tough day with tent and mattress set up. So it was a nice surprise for Zach.
