Day 6: Sparks to Lovelock

Today’s Highlights:
Today’s challenge was a 92-mile ride through the Nevada desert. I was told that there would be no photo ops today – just take one picture of the desert and the rest looks all the same. That was far from what I experienced. There was beauty and variety all around.

We all met for breakfast at 5am and were on the road around 6am so that we could make some progress before the hottest part of the day. It was a very comfortable start, around 65 degrees. A few miles out of town, we got on Interstate 80 east and traveled on it for 70 out of the 92 miles. There are no other roads through much of northern Nevada, and we will be on I80 a lot until we reach Salt Lake City in another five days. For the first 25 miles, the highway followed the Truckee River. The vegetation, farms and ranches along the river were a pleasant contrast to the surrounding arid hills and mountains. We got off the highway briefly around mile 27 and rode through the little town of Wadsworth and then Fernley.

At mile 33, we had our first rest stop. I arrived there around 7:30 am and the temperature was already 80. Then we hopped on I80 again. Now far from any rivers, the desert scenery changed dramatically. There were areas where some grasses thrived. Otherwise, sagebrush was the predominant vegetation. In one area there was some kind of red growth, but I don’t know what it was. I passed one wetland and saw an egret there. The hills varied from redish to yellow, and various shades of brown.

In the middle of nowhere, I saw a big smiley face that someone had made out of rocks. I had a big smile on my face too. I was having a great ride.

I rode mostly by myself today. with only short encounters with other riders. I was able to get a few pictures of Andy (the mechanic) and Andy (from Sacramento) and David and Mark. I caught up with Mark on the highway and we rode together for about five miles. Then I got my first flat. Yep. In the middle of the desert on the highway. We walked a short distance to a safe place and started the tube change. Luckily, the SAG van showed up about 10 minutes into the situation, and I got help from Gene and Michele. I lost about 25 minutes due to this. Up to then, I was averaging 18.8 mph.

After the flat fix, I was on my way, but slowed down by a head wind. The wind was an issue for part of the day, although in general I made good time on the relatively flat roads. Our second rest stop was at 68 miles, which I reached before 10:30. Now the temp had climbed to at least 90. We rode on the highway for another 10 miles, then finally on a frontage road for the last 12 into the town of Lovelock. On the last stretch my bike computer registered 107 degrees, and that is how hot my feet felt too. I was running out of water, so I rationed it for the last seven miles with one sip per mile. I was somehow able to average 18 mph during the last 12 miles of the 92-mile ride. I was determined to get to the hotel and out of the heat. I reached the hotel at 12:08, a little more than 6 hours from my start. Even with a flat and many photo stops, it was the fastest 90 miles I have ever ridden.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
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