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Day 20
Thar she blows!

ROUTE: Quincy IL to Springfield IL DISTANCE: 107 Miles WINDS: ENE 15-20  That's in our face.
WEATHER: Sunny and warm...high 82/Low 60 TERRAIN: Rolling until lunch, then flat to Springfield TOTAL CLIMBING: 3700 feet

DAILY REPORT: 

RIDE OVERVIEW:  We loaded at 6:30 then we rode to breakfast 13 miles from the motel at a little hole in the wall called Mike's Place in Liberty IL.  We've only eaten there once before, but I think it's a keeper...I believe the riders agreed.  Even though we rode before eating (well some of them ate the continental breakfast at the motel before departing), the riders enjoyed eating someplace that wasn't a chain restaurant.  It was a cute little place with lots of rural decorations cluttering the walls and even some stuffed critters (left) looking over us while we chowed down.  Best of all, the food was excellent and the atmosphere was great.  I think the riders wanted to stay there longer...but we had another 89 miles to ride.

While everyone ate breakfast, Shane and I overhauled Phil's bottom bracket and changed out his wheel.  He's been having noises that would wake the dead in a few cemeteries we ride by.  "No one will ride with me," He told me.  "The noise is driving me and everyone else crazy.  I can't ride fast enough to stay ahead of the noise either."  After tearing his bottom bracket apart, he rode the rest of the day in relative quiet.  I saw him riding with a group before lunch so we must have been successful...but he was riding at the back.

The order of the day was teamwork.  With the winds, most of the riders were grouping up and riding together to share the workload beating into the wind.  It's definitely an advantage to be in a pace line when the winds are in your face, but I have to admire those who ride solo on days like this.  There are several riders who tend to ride alone most of the time...they will always take longer and have to work a lot harder...but they are tougher in my mind.  Besides, those who pace line all the way across don't get to see much of the country.  If you're not the lead dog, the scenery never changes.  There's just too much to see in this great country...I think the solo riders have a greater appreciation for the scenery.

I spent the morning in the van with plans to ride from lunch...what was I thinking?  When I got to lunch, I was having a bad case of the punys.  If I had any energy, I took it all just to climb out of the van to eat.  Shane had waited for me so I was pretty obligated to ride...but I wasn't looking forward to it.  Especially with the headwinds that were picking up.  When we pulled out of Jacksonville (where we had lunch) our route was pretty flat and in the wide open spaces...nothing to block the wind what-so-ever.  Well, nothing besides Shane.  I spent most of the way to Springfield admiring how strong he was riding...it was all I could do to hang on.  I'd sneak in a pull now and again, but staying out of the "red zone" was hard with the gusty winds.  About half way, I started feeling a bit better...didn't want to dance after the ride, but I could walk.

Our route this morning had a few hills until about 45 miles but after that, it really flattened out into fertile Illinois farmland...the corn belt of the US.  Although most of the fields are already planted with corn and anywhere from 6 inches to a foot high, we passed several places where farmers were just getting started on the planting process (below left).  By the time our challenge ride gets here in July, the riders won't be able to see across the vast fields, but they will have a place to sneak into to go to the bathroom. 

Life is good now...Bill got his crank in today so he's back on his regular set up and Phil can sneak up on someone now without making crunching noises as he rides by.  Most of the bikes are running pretty well...the riders are a bit tired after a tough day today, but they are strong and will recover quickly for tomorrow's challenge.  Looks like we'll have pesky winds again, but it's only 77 miles and I've already scheduled a laid back load in the morning.  We'll load for departure at 9:00...that's 2 1/2 hours after normal load.  I'm sure there will be several people who will be pretty jittery before they can load their bags...it will be a good test to see if they've developed control of their AAA personalities.  I'm betting not.

It will be especially nice to get a relatively easy day after the tough days into Kirksville, Quincy, and today.  Luckily, we are out of the hills for the next few days and the weather looks favorable for a bit too...if we could just get rid of these winds.  I guess it's always something. 

Our adventure is rapidly coming to an end...we're closing in on the east coast.  It will be here before we know it.  We do have a couple diversions scheduled before we end...next Tuesday we'll tour the Roark bicycle factory and next Sunday we'll tour the Bicycle History Museum in Orchard Park NY...that will really be a treat and is always a highlight of the trip.  But for now, we'll just ride.  I'm sleeping in tomorrow morning...tune in late and see what we are up to.  We'll be here.

 
DID I REALLY SAY THAT?:

"Phil, what died in your bottom bracket?"

"Can we ride back to Kirksville and you come pick us up?"

"I don't do wind."

"My butt doesn't have any padding on it anymore...I can hardly sit down.  I just hit bone."

"If I can get lost at home, there's no reason I can't get lost here."  AJ after he missed the turn to lunch.  I found him going the wrong way on the road lunch was on when he got back on route.

 DID I REALLY DO THAT?:

Shane was going to ride with Karen until he started riding with me after lunch.  Shane will learn pretty soon that when Karen gets a head start and says she will ride slow until you catch her, that really means she will ride a bit slower than Lance Armstrong...try and catch me.  I told Shane he'd never see Karen all day when he told me that Karen had a head start.  I've been on the wrong end of that situation before...she leaves with the promise to ride slow, I leave 2 minutes later and time trial for 3 hours...no Karen in sight.  I was right...when he hadn't caught her by the first SAG, Karen put on a run.  Shane never caught her...I didn't even catch her in the van all day...so much for riding slow.  He'll not fall for that again...this was the second time this trip he's chased her to no avail.

DID I REALLY SEE THAT?

Rob may have discovered a possible second career after the ride...rodeo clown.

We stress clean hands when we're around the food.  When Bill reached (with his gloves on) for one last cookie before departing, Barbara smacked him on the helmet and made him write, "I will not eat with my gloves on," twenty-five times on the dry erase board.  The next offense rates the pedal wrench on the knuckles...that'll learn 'em.

In addition to being our ace mechanic, Shane helped the chef prepare breakfast this morning...2 more over easy Shane!

Dan, what have you been "Sharing The Road" with? 

   

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