Day 22: Pueblo to Lamar

Today’s Highlights:
I woke up this morning feeling very tired and a little ill. I guess that’s what a rest day can do to you. My enthusiasm to start today’s 120-mile ride (our longest of the tour) was not as high as most mornings. I had a light breakfast, then hopped on my bike at 6:00 am. After a few pedal strokes, I adjusted into my normal state again. Everything felt good. Life was good. I started the ride with Ken, our fastest rider. I wasn’t expecting to be with him long, because I usually stop for a picture and loose him, or my legs just don’t keep up with his. However, today was different and I stuck to his wheel for nineteen miles. Photo opportunities were rare, and I only shot a few from the bike while cruising along. We made good time on the flat roads with a very slight tailwind, averaging about 19 mph for the first hour. The winds were forecast to swing around into our faces later in the day, so we were very happy to be covering the miles quickly before that happened.

Today’s journey was much more about the ride than the scenery, for me. Covering 120 miles in a reasonable time requires careful pacing, constant hydration, and consuming enough calories along the way. There were three SAG stops to provide us with the water and food. There were also several small towns along the way, although very little else in between. This is farming country, or at least it used to be. Most of the land that I saw could barely sustain grass or weeds. Even the yucca plants were withering. Irrigation was sparse. Many old farm houses were abandon and in disrepair. It must be quite a struggle to have a successful farm here. The Arkansas River was still close to our route, and we sometimes saw a ribbon of green (mostly Cottonwood trees) indicating where the river was. Trees were rare elsewhere.

Cycling alone after the first nineteen mile, I continued to made good time. Surprisingly, I was averaging 20 mph at the 50-mile mark. I think that’s the fastest average I ever had for that distance. It was 9:00 and the wind was still mostly in my favor, but starting to change to a cross wind. It wasn’t until about 9:30 when the cross wind started to slow my pace a little. By the time I reach the 100 mile mark, my average had dropped to 17.8, but it was still my fastest century that I can remember with only 6-1/2 hours elapsed time (about two hours faster than my normal century time at home).

I finished the 120 miles at 2:30 pm, very happy with my ride and still feeling able to do more. I guess the rest day in Pueblo really did help.

Today’s accomplishment also got me 120 miles closer to home. That feels really good too.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
Zoom and pan the map to explore the route. Click the name or ‘View Detail’ to view more information at Garmin Connect.