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DAY 11

It's back on the road again...it was nice to rest...I think

RIDE OVERVIEW: We're off again after a much needed day off the bike.  Yesterday everybody did their own thing...some cleaned their bikes, some went walking, some went touring, some even went for a bike ride.  The staff was busy all day shipping bikes, shopping, meeting new riders (we welcomed 5 new riders and you can see them in the Meet the Riders section), and preparing for the next leg down the river.   It was nice to have a break in the routine, but it does break our rhythm and it's hard to get going on the next ride day...today.  I always feel like we need a day off after the day off.  Ain't going to happen...we're off on another day.

Today's route is a brand new one that I put together last winter.  We tried to eliminate a shuttle over the Missouri River and some hilly, narrow feeder roads.  Our efforts resulted in a long day of urban riding along the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) down to the St Louis River Bike Trail to the Gateway Arch in downtown St Louis and then down Hwy 231 and Hwy 61 to Festus.  The morning traffic wasn't too bad and most of the roads were wide enough or quiet enough for us to ride with relative ease through a potential nightmare.  When I asked the riders how it went, most said it was not nearly as bad as they expected.  I was happy to hear that since I was about out of ideas how to get out of town...it all worked out and some enjoyed it so much that they got in some extra miles when they missed a turn or two, but everyone got to Festus in one piece and we're back on the road.

Once everyone got to the bike path to the Arch, I started to rest a little easier that everyone was going to do well.  Now I had to get ahead of them so I could take some photos at the Arch.  I drove about 4 miles when I got caught by a malfunctioning railroad crossing.  It had traffic backed up for miles and Karen in Green was also in the same jam.  We sat there for about 20 minutes just watching cars around us and watching the clock tick away and riders getting farther away from us.  I called Barbara and told her that we were out of action until they got the traffic moving again.  Somehow Karen finally got through and headed for the SAG hoping to catch the front.  I, on the other hand, remained stuck for another 15 minutes or so before I could get turned around and headed back to find another way downtown.  I jumped on the interstate and sped toward the Arch.  Without a map or navigator, I took the Broadway exit thinking I could jump over to the Riverfront...bad choice.  The exit I took just punched me back on the freeway heading to Tulsa...Yipes!  After another exit and after using homing skills I didn't know I had, I finally stumbled on a familiar street that allowed me to backtrack to the Riverfront just as the riders were riding away from the Arch.  I got a couple of photos of riders leaving, but nothing at the bottom of the arch.  The photo at the bottom of this page was taken with John Clark's camera...Thanks John for the photo.

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving around looking for stragglers and keeping up with riders scattered over about a 20 mile spread.  Usually, we are busy, but today was unusually busy.  I got to fix several flats...a couple for Marilyn, one for Tom, and one for Keith...his 9th of the tour.  For Keith, I was at the back of the ride working the stragglers when I got a call that he needed a tire so I sped forward to find him sitting with Craig in a ditch waiting for me.  I changed out his tire and got them on their way and proceeded to turn the van around by turning down another road to find a driveway to reverse course.  I looked in my mirror and saw Tootsie Roll Tom, John C., and Nancy following me down the road to nowhere.  Hey guys...where on your cue sheet does it say turn left on this road?  I think, NOWHERE!!!  Order was restored and they got on their way...see, even though it was a long day in the van, I have plenty to keep me entertained.

After working Keith's problem, I headed back to check on the last riders today...Marilyn and Cynthia.  When I found them, Marilyn was walking up a steep hill with her chain off.  Marilyn thinks I'm Johnny on the spot as every time she had a problem today, I was right there.  I fixed her chain and then I took a position to take a photo as she began to ride away.  She got about 70 yards and stopped again.  I asked her if everything was OK...nope...she had a flat.  Hey Marilyn, do you know a good mechanic? 

We finally got everyone in by 5:00 today...a long day for only 79 miles...but there was lots to do today and urban riding is usually a little slower for all the lights and stops we have to make.  Tomorrow is a short day and we'll sleep in.  I think we'll load about 8:00 since we only have 48 miles to ride.  We are staying about 8 miles out of St Gen, but most everyone will ride downtown to see the sights before going to the motel.  We may do some other activities to bide our time too...maybe a maintenance clinic and a t-shirt swap...there, that's the ticket.  See you tomorrow.

HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:  "I'd ride with someone else, but he keeps showing up!"     

"Did Mike tell us about these hills today?"

DUH! OF THE DAY:  Actually, this was yesterday in orientation.  Our new rider Dick Robbins got in the DUH section before he put on his first pair of bike shorts.  We were filling out our paperwork and asked him for his cell phone number.  He didn't know it and couldn't figure out how to make his phone tell him.  So he did the next best thing.  He called his wife and asked her.  He told his wife, "I'm in stupid mode, can you tell me my number?"  Way to go Dick.  Everyday we seem to outdo ourselves but this is a first...someone makes the duh list before they are introduced.  Welcome to our ride...just hope you don't have to call yourself.