Day Destination Arrival Depart Mile
21 Kadoka SD 6-July 7-July 102
Today was a century ride with an excellent trip through the
Bad Lands. There are two state parks
with one being a bit more painted. The
mornings begin early now at 4 30 , load the truck at 5:30 and breakfast at
6:00. This morning we were on the road
at 6 : 20. We left Rapid City and headed
east with most of the group for the
first 25 miles. At the
checkpoints/reststops some take more time and the pack usually seperates.The
temperatures are starting to climb and by 10:30 it was well into the
eighties. High for the day was 91 which
is still cooler than some years. There
was a tailwind and we made it to camp by 2:30 with time for a swim in the pool
and dinner at H&H a short walk through the small town of Kadoka. We met the mayor and police chief who stopped
to say hello. So many small towns with
nice people that you never hear about.
Tomorrow is another long day and part of a six ride week. Yesterday was the family reunion that we
missed for the first time in 25 years.
Thought about everyone and miss them all.
 |
22 Pierre SD 7-July 8-July
96
Today we started out in the rain with a strong side
wind. The rain got harder and soaked
everything including my shorts. The rain
went away but the side wind continued making this one of the toughest rides to
date. Charlton arrived and had me going in 25 minutes. Got my first flat and
the spare tire was not good. The rolling hills lasted most of the day with
the road narrow and the downhill speed kept to a minimum due to being blown off
the road. On our way into town we
crossed the Missouri river and noticed signs for the Lewis and Clark
trail. We finally made it to Pierre and
stayed indoors in a second floor gym. We walked around the capital building
which was only a block away and took a few pictures. Dinner was very good at a local Italian place
where we saw Charlton, Lynn and Will who were celebrating Lynn’s 52nd
Birthday. Cathy was very generous and
picked up their check for their meal.
23 Miller SD 8-July
9-July
73
As hard as yesterday’s ride this was a breeze, a strong
breeze. The tailwind was a big push with
the fastest average speed to date of 17.2 mph.
Made it to our camp fast but not before needing assistance on the road
due to a broken master link in the chain. Luckily, Charlton was close by and fixed it
and was back on the road in 20 minutes.
Unsupported and that may have been a two day delay. Kenny, Charles , Lisa and I rode at speeds of
25 mph. Upon arrival at a brand new HS
we got a private room in the training facility with a desk, sink and
electricity. Rode into town and got a
great cheeseburger & fries at a local steakhouse and went across the street
for a haircut. This morning also marked
a team member Karolina dropping out to return home due to a bursitis of the
knee. She was very disappointed to leave
the group.
24 De Smet SD 9-July
10-July 77
Today was an excellent day leaving Miller at 6:15 and
getting the luxury of a nice tailwind, mild temperatures, flat terrain and
smooth roads for most of the ride. We
kept the pace fast and averaged 17.3 mph our best to date. We arrived in camp first and set up our tents
in a very nice city/state/national park outside of De Smet which is the home to
Laura Ingalls Wilder of the Little House on the Prairie fame. We walked into town and toured the local
museum and had dinner at a local restaurant which tasted really good. We have had wonderful weather and expect that
to change anyday. Today was also marked
with the ½ way point of the trip. We all
gathered at lunch for a group photo and street action shots of the event. Hard to believe we are heading home with only
1,650 miles to go.
25 Tyler MN 10-July 11-July
7
Today was a good day leaving early and saying good bye to
South Dakota and hello to Minnesota, our 6th state. The side wind kicked up after lunch and
continued for the rest of the day. We
had lunch in Brookings at another wonderful park. Arrived at 12:07 to a great glass of
chocolate milk and watermelon , which has been our after ride refresher along
with a few pretzels or snack mix.
Tonight we sleep in the gym so no tent duty , although I like the
privacy of the tent and cleaner air.
Tonight is a catered dinner at the high school. Tomorrow is our ride to New Ulm and a rest
day, a cold beer and some rest.
26 New Ulm MN 11-July
13-July 87
Today’s ride was updated with a construction detour that
added 5 miles to the total. Some
crosswinds made the ride tough added with not eating much of a breakfast made
the energy level low. After a rest stop
snack the pace quickened and we arrived at Martin Luther College and a bed,
beer and rest day. A few cold ones and a
fish dinner helped to get a grip on the day.
27* New Ulm MN
The routine for rest days are now pretty established. Laundry, wash and lube the bike, relax and see the town. Had a nice lunch at the local pizza shop and entry into the Student Center for the Tour de
France update. Do the blog and start
planning the next week of cycling. Rest
, Relax and recuperate, this week’s total was over 500 miles.
 |
| New Ulm |
No comments:
Post a Comment