Day 32
Up down, Up down
 

DAILY DOINGS: To say today was a strenuous day would be a gross understatement.  I'm not sure if it wasn't our toughest day so far and maybe for the entire trip.  Today's terrain was anything but flat unless you count the flat places that were on a slope.  We were constantly going up or down all day and the ups were pretty steep in places.  This type of riding is much different than climbing the Rockies where you can get into a rhythm on a long steady climb...today's riding was get momentum on the way down and try to keep it as long as you could on the way up.  We did have a couple longer climbs of 200-300 feet, but seldom did we climb more than 70 or 80 feet at a time, but they just kept coming at us all day (A lot of today was just like the photo right).  I'm convinced there just wasn't enough room between Kansas and the Mississippi River to squeeze Missouri in without scrunching it up...if they'd flatten this state, it'd be bigger than Texas for sure.  I'm sure everyone was a bit leg weary by the time they got to Kirksville...I know I was.

Our route was almost entirely rural today.  We only went by a couple towns that had stores and there wasn't anything between the towns.  We started to see more and more crops...corn, soybeans, and wheat that has already been harvested.  In addition to all the hills that made the day one of the toughest so far, we also had a pesky headwind all day.  Tough yes...impossible, no.  Everyone was in town by 3:00...not bad by any standard.  But aside from all the tough conditions, the hilly terrain made for some of the most scenic views we've had since Colorado.  The country side was absolutely beautiful which helped take the pain out of the legs...well, a little.

I got to ride today in spite of my sore back.  I can pedal or walk, but I can't do both.  When I get off the bike it takes me several minutes to straighten up but after I do, I'm fine.  I left after everyone got on the road and didn't get too far before I had to stop and take a photo at the local Piggly Wiggly...one of my racing team's sponsors.  From there I was off...didn't take long for me to realize that I didn't have the legs for a hard effort today so I just settled in and tried to keep it smooth until I got warmed up.  I was pretty far behind everyone so I entertained myself by taking photos of my shadow and trying to just enjoy the solitude of the ride.  When I arrived at the first SAG, only a couple riders were still there.  I was starting to get warmed up and I thought I'd probably pick up the pace to the second SAG in spite of the promise of more extreme terrain.  Just as I was getting ready to get on my bike, Barb got a call from Karen who was up the road about 5 miles in the mechanic's van...Scott had broken a spoke so I needed to climb in the van with Barb and get Scott back on the road.  He's leading the flat tire race and I think he may be getting close to the lead in the broken spoke category too.  What is it with him and wheels?  When we got to them, they had taken his bike all apart...I took Barbara's rear wheel which had the same cogset and put it on Scott's bike...they were off within a couple minutes after we arrived.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful from my standpoint.  I was able to catch a few of the riders and did get a couple photos of the terrain.  When I got to the motel, several riders had gone into town to see the sights or to get something to eat before dinner...I think they can eat all they can find today.

Tomorrow we officially cross into the east.  The first part of the day will be much like today...hilly.  But it will tame out a bit after the first SAG and it will be dead flat after we cross the river for the last 30 or so miles.  We just keep rolling...tomorrow's our last day in hilly Missouri.  Tune in and see how we do. 

Copyright © 2006 by Bamacyclist  
All rights reserved.