Day 15: Sunday, May 1 - Chickasha, OK to McAlester, OK 144 miles for the day, 5389' up, 5789' down

We started out with another cool morning.We were soon greeted by roller after roller, one after another after another, up and down, up and down. 

I came upon a set of four good size rollers stretched out over about a mile, with the crest of each higher than the one before. 

This was NOT an easy route today, and the wind was pretty much a cross wind all day, not much help, but not a hindrance either. 

I arrived at the first SAG stop (support and gear) at mile 36.7 where I refilled my water bottles and ate a banana and some Fig Newtons, then back in the saddle. My goal for the day was to ride 100 of the 144 miles planned, and to do that, I needed to avoid falling too far behind and being bumped when I did not want to be bumped ahead. My plan was to ride near each SAG stop before being bumped to that SAG. I accomplished this by riding to the 60.3 mile spot, where I saw the mechanic's van parked, so I got in to ride to the lunch SAG at mile 76.3.

Lunch on the road

From there, I rode another 28 miles, then got bumped up to the 3rd SAG at mile 110.7. Then I rode again, looking to get at least another 12 miles, but after I had done that, I didn't see the van again until I had ridden 17 miles, bringing my day's total to 105 miles. After that 3rd SAG, I wondered whether I should ride all the way to the finish, which would have put my day's total at 118, but decided that it would be better to call it a day at 105, and stay relatively fresh for tomorrow. 

Ouch!

The other guys finished the 144 miles, and finished tired. It was a pretty tough day for them with all of the up and down, and no help from the wind, but made easier than it would otherwise have been by the unplanned day off and a pretty easy day yesterday.

We don't have RAP (when we get our instructions and cue sheets for the day's ride) until 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. There I plan to thank the other riders for being so supportive of me on this trip. It would be so easy for them to diss me for not being in the same league as them, but I have received a lot of encouragement and "at a boys". 

This reminds me of a lady Kiwanian in Wenatchee, Washington who went to visit another club, where they were eulogizing a member who had just died. She gave a speech to our club entitled "Give them the flowers while they are still here", which basically encouraged us to give the recognition to those who serve well while they are still alive when they can appreciate the recognition. Well, the corollary now is for me to show my appreciation to the other riders while we still are together for 12 more days, rather than wait until the banquet the last day in Savannah, Georgia.

This also reminds me of a concept I learned in another training program in Washington, in which we were encouraged to be "positive wizards". The analogy was to the wizard in "The Wizard of Oz", where the wizard made the characters become brave, or other personal characteristic, simply by telling them they were that. 

We all have great power to affect others' self image by paying compliments to them, attributing positive characteristics to them when witnessing actions the show some sign of that characteristic. 

Case in point: when I was perhaps 7 or 8, I was sitting on a log while my oldest brother Al was cutting the log into stove lengths with a saw. Sitting on the log helped hold it still, making it easier to cut. My uncle came by and said, "You are quite a helper." That stuck with me, and I repeated that to myself many times, and I believe that is the basis for my customer service attitude at work and my wanting to be "of service" to others. Such "self talk" is a very powerful influence, and so, why not seed such positive thoughts in others, simply by giving sincere compliments when you see commendable behavior? What can you do to be a positive wizard, especially to young people who are still impressionable?

OK, enough philosophizing again. :) See, my mind does wander while pedaling mile after mile. :)

Oh, by the way, Eric successfully got his bike repaired yesterday, and rejoined us on our ride today. Unfortunately, he saw a big black snake on the road ahead of him, and while trying to avoid it, fell and hit his shoulder. Apparently, it is OK and while a bit sore, will not prevent him from continuing. Man, snakes and dogs! Who would have thought they would be the biggest hazards on this trip?

Tomorrow is planned to be a "short day" (105 miles) with an easier course with little climbing. The other guys will need it, and it looks like I should be able to complete the entire ride without being bumped up at all. Day 16: Monday, May 2 - McAlester, OK to Ft. Smith, AR 105 miles for the day, 1,900' of climbing. 

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For the ride leader's take on today with photos, go here.