A Day of Challenges

Wednesday morning we got up at 7:30. Due to the time change of Central Time Zone it was still too dark to ride. Linda made a great breakfast with eggs, potatoes, oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit. It was a day to eat hearty as we had an 88 mile day ahead of us to go from Van Horn to Fort Davis, Texas. Because of the rough surface on the frontage road yesterday, we scooted right on the interstate 10 where the road shoulder was smooth for the first 15 miles. The weather was great, cool to start out and a little cloud cover so as the sun rose higher you could shed the windbreaker and leg warmers by about 20 miles out.

The road surface got a little rough after 15 miles,but I was very careful to avoid any little bits of debris. We stopped for a gal that had a flat on the shoulder and then headed for our first SAG stop for snacks. I usually get a V8 and some sort of cheese or fruit and a few almond covered m & m's. It's easy to keep dipping into the chips and cookies that they also have and I always top off my water bottle and my bottle that I have some electrolytes in. When it's cooler in the mornings, I have to remember to drink more as you don't feel as thirsty as when it is hot.

The tail winds were with us again, and we zipped along often at 20 miles per hour on the highway. When you stopped, it felt cool, but when you were biking, it was warm, so we were often stopping to unzip or zip up some garment among us.

After we got off the interstate at mile 40 and went around a corner, the winds REALLY started GUSTING and there were hard CROSS-WINDS or HEADWINDS. It kept changing directions and intensity. Our mileage slowed down to about 8-12 mph for a while. As I was going downhill I felt as if the wind was going to push be back up, that's how hard it was gusting.

As we were out in the middle of nowhere, our group provided us a lunch stop at about mile 44. I can't tell you how slowly the odometer seemed to move those last four miles. The wind continued to howl across the valley, between the hills as we hunkered down with our turkey sandwich on the ground on the side of the van for a little break. Several people opted to "bump up", or get a ride to mile 62 as the winds were SO STRONG! One of my mates chose that option, but the other gal and I decided to press on. After about mile 52, the gal I was with, opted for a ride up to the top of the mountain. I was determined to keep going. The wind would blow so hard that you would be moved sideways. There was very little traffic so we did have the roadway practically to ourselves. It took me hours to get to the next stop where the van and trailer were waiting. 5 other people were waiting for a ride. I asked if I could just come into the van for 5 minutes to rest, get out of the wind, befoore making my decision to get a ride up or ride up on my own.

After my break,I figured I felt OK, and would like to try riding for another hour or so, asking that the SAG driver, to come back and check on me to see how I was doing. I took frequent breaks, drank a lot, snacked often to keep up my strength. This was the hardest ride of my life!

Most of the time I could only go 4-8 mph only against the wind. The next 14.5 miles were difficult as the route began to climb with some very steep and short inclines. I have to admit, I got off and walked up a few of the steepest parts that were more than 12% as my legs were so tired. After a brief stretch and a short walk of 100 steps or so, I would get back on and pedal some more. Luckily there were some downhills along with some uphills, but still the winds would inconsistently blow in all directions. Once in a while you'd get a break and a tailwind would help you up a portion and everything would be fine for a while. I traveled up to where we could see the McDonald Observatory up off to the right. The panorama vista was amazing. I remember going down around a corner on a downhill and just yelling out loud to the world. WOW! WOW! WOW! This vast open expanse of valleys, mountains, and breathtaking views all around were incredible. And then...

KAPOW! My rear tire tube exploded on a downhill just after I feathered my brakes to take a corner. Luckily, I stayed upright, but I could hear the grind of the rim scraping the pavement until I could get the bike to stop. I just remember thinking, get your feet out the clips NOW!. This would be flat number NINE, I consider myself to be pretty handy at changing a flat and though I was on my own, went about my business of taking out the old tube and changing the flat. I couldn't find any glass, thorns, just that big ugly split of about 6 inches that has happened so many times on my back tire. I put the new tube in and got a little frustrated with the little pump that I have. Usually I use my friend's pump as she has a much more efficient one, or I use the floor pump from the van. By now it is about 5:30, and I've been on the road since about 8:00. The Sag wagon came back noticing that I was behind and got the floor pump out for me. My NEW TIRE that was just put on three or four days ago was shredded so I couldn't ride the rest of the way anyways. We threw everything into the back seat of the wagon and headed in the last 10 miles, past all the downhill that I had worked so hard for climbing those hours before.

I was so discouraged when I got in because my back rim was shot, I just went into my room and cried. We are in a place that cell phones don't work as we are nestled in the side of a mountain, so I knew I couldn't even call anyone for a part to send out until the next day.

Well, my friend, Susan, a project manager, and Michelle, the mechanic, sprung into action for me while I took the longest hot shower of my life. They determined that my rims are poorly constructed and with my permission ordered me two new ones that will be shipped overnight today to the place we are going tomorrow, (I think it's Marathon, TX.but I don't have my sheet with me as I am up in the lodge near the office as I can not get internet connection in my room.) They went online to see what rims places had in stock, but many of them did not have two or could not ship it right away. By now it is around 6:40 central time here so Susan thought to call her bike shop in CA right before she closed to see if she could help out and that bike shop will take care of shipping it out and Michelle will install everything tomorrow.

I am so relieved and thankful for their help. I know it will be alright now and I might get an extra day off and that's OK with me too. I feel so lucky that I didn't get hurt on that downhill blowout and there was no traffic at that moment. I even felt good enough to clean and lube my bike today, what was left of it , this afternoon whereas yesterday, I was ready to throw it off a cliff...

So if any bike enthusiasts know any problems with the rims of a Specialized Sequoia elite, please let me know. I'm not sure what to do with the rims for now. But I think my bike store needs to know and Specialized needs to know though I doubt I'll be reimbursed for the new parts and tires, an additional nearly $400 for new tires, rims and all those tubes I've used up.

I did not get much sleep last night but at least it is a day off. I went into town , four miles away, and walked around, got some lunch, and looked at some shops. My laundry is done for now and I will put my feet up for a while and do some stretching that I did not do yesterday.

Last night after a glass of merlot, we were sitting on the edge of the lodge waiting for javelinas to appear at dusk. I saw something move in the distance but could not make out the animal clearly. This afternoon, from the balcony I I saw three javelinas out in the grass near the back of the hotel. I did not think they would be out in the middle of the day. They are the first of these critters that I have seen in the wild.

So,yesterday was a day of challenges but I look forward to the promise of tomorrows!

Safe and sound,
Robin