Day 7: Saturday, April 23 - Gallup, NM to Albuquerque, NM 136 miles for the day, 3093' up, 4626' down

Our early group started at 6:45 from our motel in Gallup, a bit later than normal but had to wait for daylight due to the time change. My departure was delayed a couple of minutes while Mike changed my front tire due to the rim strip shifting and my inner tube being cut - again. My 5th flat of the trip. But, note to self - be sure to fully check out my bike when I get done at night, so any problems can be fixed then, rather than delay a morning start. Frankly, the night before I was a bit wasted.

It was cool out, so needed our windbreakers and full leather (old dress) gloves.We rode a slight upgrade for 15 miles (with about 2 miles of some of the worst shoulder pavement imaginable). From there we needed to be bumped ahead to mile 22 by the van to avoid some construction. 

We got out at the Continental Divide at 7245'. There it was even cooler with a wind, so I didn't hang around too long.

Loading up to get past construction, up to the Continental Divide

It's all downhill from here, right?

Then a stiff headwind greeted us. On what should have been a pretty easy segment, we fought the wind. After 25 miles, I took a bump up to our first SAG stop at mile 64. From there, I rode 26 miles with a much more favorable wind along the frontage road to I 40 on mostly decent roads and generally sloping down. it warmed enough so the windbreaker came off and before long, it was feeling hot. Nonetheless, fun, easy riding, which was what I needed after the century yesterday. Then I was bumped to mile 104 and rode 13 miles to mile 117 for our final SAG stop for the day. 

More dry country we passed through

I was feeling pretty good but could see that some long climbs were ahead on the route, before dropping off into Albuquerque. I decided to stay feeling good and rode the van to the motel. I had ridden a total of 79 miles and felt good. With a rest day ahead, I should be in good shape to ride at least a good portion of Monday's ride - reputed to be the hardest day of the trip.

Tomorrow: Day 8: Sunday, April 24 -  Albuquerque, NM (Rest Day) Time for laundry and try to get a compatible charger cable for my office computer, as the one from my Dell laptop doesn't work (note to self - on a trip like this, test out EVERYTHING before the trip).

Day 9: Monday, April 25 - Albuquerque, NM to Las Vegas, NM 137 miles for the day, 7,800' of climbing, some of it 7%. I was using my granny gear at 5%, so will be wishing for a GREAT grandmother gear on this stretch, But then, I always have the option to be bumped up ahead by van if I need to do that to keep this trip fun - which has become my goal - have fun and do enough riding to get stronger/faster, but not break my body down by trying to keep up with the elite riders I find myself with.

Next page

For our ride leader's (Mike Monk) version of today's ride, go here. 

Day 6: Friday, April 22 - Winslow, AZ to Gallup, NM 134 miles for the day, 3815' up, 2097' down

Loading for the day.

We rode a lot on Interstate 40 today. After leaving at 6:15, the first 40 miles went pretty smoothly, even if slowly. Mike then bumped me up about 20 miles to close the gap between the riders. 

We rode by a whole lot of not much of anything.

Did I tell you that we rode a few hills?

I then rode 16 miles until I had a flat. To save time, I got bumped up to the Lunch spot. After lunch I rode about 4 miles and got another flat. After getting that fixed, I rode 20 miles and got another flat.

Lots of opportunities for flats.

Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!

Mike then totally took the tire apart, as there were no signs of punctures in the tires themselves. As the lady with 8 kids said, "We have to figure out what's causing this." It was a rim strip that had moved, allowing the sharp edges of the inside of the rim where the spokes are secured to rub on the tube and puncture the tube.

Some nice red rocks before we reached Gallup

With that fixed, I then rode the last 29.93 miles to the hotel with a nice tailwind which lessened the effort for the slightly uphill section, over 11 hours after leaving Winslow, for a total of 99.93 miles ridden of the 134 route miles planned. I am well satisfied with that, but I feel sunblasted and weary, so curious how I will feel tomorrow. The route planned for today included 3,400 feet of climbing, but I have no idea how much of that I missed (well, actually, I didn't miss it at all :) ) The route was pretty easy, gently rolling, through a whole lot of not much of anything, mile after mile. Pretty dry and strong sun but cooler than the first few days.

Oh, in the last section of the ride, I took a slight (right) wrong turn. I reached a VERY steep but short hill, so rather than burn my legs out, I walked up it (that isn't cheating, is it? After all, it was on "bonus" miles). Just after, a dog ran along its property line barking at me. Then, about 3/4 mile from the turn, a man in a truck stopped me and asked if meant to be going that way. He sent me back the way I came. As I passed the dog again, he really came after me, with his ears pinned back - not a good sign. I put on a canine inspired adrenaline assisted speed trial and just barely outran him, with him as close as 3-4'. Dang, that was close!

The plan for tomorrow is: Day 7: Saturday, April 23 - Gallup, NM to Albuquerque, NM, 136 miles for the day, 4,500' of climbing. I may get only 50 miles or so done tomorrow the way I feel now.

My great insight for the day is the fact that everyone measures him or herself according to some reference group - usually their peers. I saw this while coaching hockey in five different cities, some with very strong programs (Moorhead, MN) and some very weak (Tawas City, MI). At each of the locations, some kid or kids stood out as better than their peers. Parents even in the weak programs dreamed about their kid maybe someday being in the NHL, or at least in a college program, while I knew that the players who would get those chances were in another level higher entirely. But, hard to squash someone's dream.

Well, before I came on this trip, when measured against my riding group members, I was not too shabby. When I met the minimum level of being able to ride a century in 6 hours of riding time, and when I worked the training plan sketched out, I thought I would be ready for this trip. But, many of the riders in this group are at a significantly higher level than I am. The trip is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Should my ego be shattered? No, as I think I have achieved much more than if I had not tried, and I know I will be a much stronger rider when done than I was a year ago. But, dream meets reality.

What is the point? Students at Foley Public Schools do "pretty well" when compared with their reference groups - nearby schools and members in our athletic conference. But, how do they compare with the world class schools and students? Might it not be good for them to see how well some of the best can do? How else do they get any sense of what their own potential could be? How do you allow them to have contact with outside reference groups without people inferring that I think Foley students "don't quite measure up"? How can I help the Foley students reach higher and achieve more?

Something to think about, huh?

Next page

For our ride leader's (Mike Monk) version of today's ride, go here. 

Days 4 and 5, April 20 and 21, Wickenburg to Cottonwood (102 miles) and Cottonwood to Winslow, AZ (109 miles)

 Day 4: Wickenburg to Cottonwood, AZ (102 miles), 8697' up', 7430' down

Brian and I started out at 6:00, getting an earlier start than the others to try to keep us grouped closer together. We had a stiff climb ahead of us to Yarnell Pass.  My legs felt OK the first 10 miles or so, but then the climb began. At about 20 miles, I knew I would not be able to finish the day's entire route.  The support van  with Mike driving came by and I decided the best thing I could do is to skip the rest of the steep climb to Yarnell Pass (4850' elevation), so I rode the van to about the 24 mile mark. I had dead legs.

From there, I rode a nice ride down to Peoples Valley, then Skull Valley and then the road turned up again. It is demoralizing as the road looks flat, but your legs tell you different. After about 20 miles of riding, I reached the first SAG stop at mile 43. I was in my granny gear (lowest gear ratio on the bike) the last mile or so riding 7 mph max up this slope that looked flat and even that was wearing me out. I decided tat the best thing for me to do, considering the many days of riding we still need to do, is to call it a day, and just say it is a light training day. 

Some of our fast riders who overtook us

For some reason, this is called "Frog Rock"

So, I rode the van through Jerome (a touristy town with its buildings glued to the side of the mountain, and Prescott, for a total of only 40 of the planned 102 miles. What I missed were three climbs, the first to Yarnell Pass, and then another hump, followed by the Mt. Mingus summit at 7023' that challenged even our strong riders. I was not unhappy to also miss the screaming technical 10 mile descent down a red canyon into Cottonwood, with some of the riders reaching 50 mph on the twisty, turny two lane road with traffic. I just do not feel comfortable on fast descents, particularly when I cannot see the runout at the bottom.

Looking down into the valley from near the top of Mingus Mountain

This downhill is a lot like Earl, in the song, the missing person who nobody missed at all.

Day 3:Tuesday, April 19 - Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, AZ, 3689' up, 1908' down

 After a 5:20 breakfast, Brian and I got started earlier than the rest. After a short ride along a freeway frontage road we got on freeway Hwy, 10 and almost right away began climbing. Then we entered Arizona, one state down, several more to go.

Our first climb was to mile 16.5, then a small dip, then climb again to mile 34.5. When we got off Hwy. 10, we got on Hwy. 60, a two lane road that would take us all the way to our motel in Wickenburg.

But, before I forget, along Hwy, 10, I decided it was time for a nature call. I had just stepped over a bush and saw a big rattlesnake about 8 feet in front of me. It coiled and got ready to strike. I backed out of there quickly.

Rattlesnake, ready to strike

My roommate, Phil Anderson (also from Minnesota) came by to also see the rattlesnake.

On Highway 60, we followed the two lane road on a steady uphill climb, from about 1200 feet elevation to about 2625' It never got steep, but it was a steady climb. We passed through the booming metropolis of Brenda (or at least I was told we did, I may have blinked), then entered the equally large town of Hope. Below is a photo showing a sign that said (as we were leaving town) "Your Now Beyond Hope). (yes, including the wrong grammar). 

There is Hope in the future

Oops, looks like Hope is gone

We had our second SAG (support and gear) stop (actually lunch) in the town of Salome, complete with Laundermat (but another sign correctly said "laundromat" (apparently by the same sign maker, go figure).

We slogged away up the gentle slope, until about mile 104, then began a good 10 mile downhill into Wickenburg. I surely was looking forward to that downhill, but it was further away and shorter than hoped. Thank goodness the wind was coming from the 7:30 position, so we got a little help up the hill.

Nonetheless, I completed the 115 miles for the day, with 3,300' of climbing. I am a bit tired, and not sure I am up for tomorrow: Day 4: Wednesday, April 20 - Wickenburg, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ 103 miles for the day, 10,000' of climbing. But, I will do what I can, enjoy the ride, and continue to become a stronger rider. If I need to get "bumped up", so be it. 

Next page

For our ride leader's (Mike Monk) version of today's ride, go here.