84 total trip miles
9.9 mph avg
3,645’ climbing
FF - 10
MP - The Tichenor Family - they have adopted WDYLT more completely than anyone other than me & that alone inspired me to include them as an MP. They are also just great people.
Today was without a doubt the most difficult day of biking that I have ever had. For those of you paying attention you may say “How can that be. He went faster today than yesterday”. The reason is the length & steepness of the hills. There were some that I just couldn’t pedal up. I wasn’t the only one that walked sometimes, but there were also a number of riders who didn’t walk at all. Kudos to them.
The interesting thing I learned about myself through this experience is that after I had to walk for the 1st time it would have been very easy to just keep doing so any time a hill looked imposing. Instead I dug deep & tried to pedal up everything. Toward the end of the day there was a 3 mile climb with about a 6% grade. I made it about 75% of the way before my body just wouldn’t do it. There were a number of other hills where my persistence paid off & I made it riding. I’m satisfied with my effort. My avg mph was helped tremendously by some long downhills mixed in during the day.
A couple of interesting facts:
It is legal to ride a bicycle on the interstate highway if no other roads are available. We did that some today & will again tomorrow. It actually felt safer than I expected.
Bicycle riders are some of the friendliest people I have ever encountered. Here I am with a couple of new friends.
I have not experienced any flat tires yet, but other some riders have had 3 or 4.
Weather started out rainy again & it never really got warm all day. That is supposed to change tomorrow.
Had our 1st view of the border wall with Mexico today.
WDYLT - ILT when climbing a hill it is better to do so in fog. That way you can’t see how long it is & you have a better chance of making it up. It’s very psychological.
If you’re having trouble understanding some of my acronyms like FF, MP, WDYLT, ILT go to the blog site & read the page “Understanding this Blog”
That is a great thing to learn! It's amazing what you can achieve if you don't let your mind make you think you can't do it...
ReplyDeleteSo proud of you , Dad! Yesterday was unsurprisingly a tough day because there were tough conditions-lots of climbing, rain, and cold. Your mind is strong and ready for this ride, too! So glad I got to cheer you on.
ReplyDeleteWow - what an amazing and challenging day! Way to go! We're pulling for you and sending lots of love and strength. Keep rocking! Now you can imagine it is foggy when it's not and you need it to be! :)
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