The hills and Mesa.

The past two days of riding have been some of the toughest riding of the entire trip so far. It’s been a heck of a ride, and it started out on Tuesday morning started with a quick breakfast at a local bike cafe, and a departure to where we ended the previous day. I knew we would have a few climbs throughout the day’s ride, but I had no clue it would be this tough.

The day was constant climbing. Never ending. It was brutal. It was tough. It was challenging. It took every ounce of energy that I had to make it up some of those hills. I took it slowly but surely. That’s the motto I have. I won’t be the fastest, and I may not look good doing it, but I’ll take it slow, and I’ll finish up strong. The total elevation change for the day’s ride was over 11,000 feet. That is INSANE. My previous toughest ride had been 9,000 feet. It obliterated that.

I averaged less than 10 mph during that stretch. It was demoralizing. You become used to travelling at a given pace, however, with these hills I wasn’t moving fast. Hill after hill, climb after climb, I kept on pedaling. Slowly but surely, I traversed the different obstacles and mountains presented in my path. The tough climb culminated with a climb that originated straight from satan. It was long. It seemed never ending. After already have been making climbs for the previous 60 miles I was giving this climb everything I had. I pedaled, and pedaled, and then pedaled some more and I made it to the top. It’s tough to explain how tough that ride was. Unless you try to do it yourself words simply won’t do it justice.

To my pleasure, the remaining 23 miles of riding were on top of the mesa, which with a tailwind made for a nice cool down ride. Rex, Corey, and Steve all helped with setting up camp and getting dinner up and running. This stretch is tough, hot, and with very few cities. Thus, it’s nice to have people to talk to during the ride. Don’t worry, I’m still riding completely self supppoted. Every single ounce is upon my bike as I trek towards Denver.

We camped within Sitgreaves National Forest, which means it’s free. We cooked up some mac n’ cheese with brats, which made for a delicious dinner for this cheese lovin’ brat devourin’ Wisconsinite. A warm campfire and a Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy were the perfect way to finish up a tough, tough day of biking.

This morning, I got up early, packed down camp, and hit the road. Now that I had climbed to the top of the Mesa, the ride was to be for the most part flat, with light rolling hills. Nothing nearly as bad as the day prior. However, with a strong tailwind, I was ready to crank out the miles. And boy did I ever.

I knew the day had the potential to be big. I had a strong average pace of 15 mph. That was for the whole day. By FAR my best average pace. I ended up finishing the day with 134 miles. Another new personal record. It was a gorgeous day of riding. The tailwind was welcomed with open arms, in fact, I even considered adding a sail to the bike to utilize the tailwind more effectively. The ride took me through Petrified Forest National Park, and the Navajo Indian Reservation. With plenty of different Native American and Dinosaur memorabilia scattering the roadside, it was easy to see this area used to be a popular tourist destination. It still may be, but not to the same degree. Route 66 used to run along this stretch, bringing with it hoards of eager tourists. Either way, it’s interesting to see how the area has changed over the years.

After the ride, we had dinner at a local diner before heading back to catch some z’s. I’m guessing it’ll be pretty easy for all of us to catch some z’s after a long ride like today. It’s been a fun, challenging, and tough two days of riding. We continue to progress on pace towards Denver. It’s all downhill after Denver right? At least that’s what I’ve been told. Until next time!

Hi5!