Day Eleven

We couldn't find a state line sign so this had to do.

With 117 mile day ahead we started at dawn.

I am proud to have spent the day riding with 74 year old Larry Johnson.

Ken was most happy to hear that his bike is okay.

Bat Out of Hell

So Wendover is an interesting city with sort of a split personality since half the city is in Nevada and the other half is in Utah. Probably best to drink beer on the Nevada side and look for a date on the Utah side??

Somehow I ended up leaving for the day with Larry Johnson who happens to be the oldest member of our group but don’t let his age fool you because he’s already finished 2 tours across the country and can ride with the best. His favorite food is “smoothies” which look suspiciously like frozen strawberry marguerites to me.

For me it was a similar route to yesterday’s with 20 more miles thrown in so the strategy was the same. Warm the engine to the first SAG (40 miles) and bear down a bit to the second (90 miles). After that just take stock and see how I feel for the final 30 miles to the finish.

Kiwi Rick has become like my jack rabbit because he likes to get out early and rides at a very steady pace throughout the day. My goal is to catch him before the first SAG. The first leg was dead flat through the salt flats and I was feeling good so I laid down the hammer and went after Rick. Shawn hung with us for awhile but eventually broke off. But every time I checked I found good old Larry in his favorite position sitting at my 5 o’clock matching me pedal for pedal. We did catch Rick and then all rode together to the first SAG.

High wind warning again and today they literally exploded about half way through the second leg. After 25 UGLY miles we limped into the SAG and I’m thinking this is about the dumbest thing I’ve ever done and maybe I should just take the van to the finish. Of course Larry wasn’t about to stop riding and I’m not gonna let him embarrass me so we saddled up and bulled out another 10 miles fighting the 20-30 mile an hour crosswinds making maybe an average 10 mph headway.

The highway made a slight turn to the left which was just enough to put the wind more at our backs and suddenly we were stroking 15 mph then 20 then almost 30. The final 20 miles was a real adventure as the wind whipped to a frenzy ahead of the rain showers. Luckily we had mostly a tailwind but at some points we barely held the road and I was blown off the highway and into the brush once but managed to keep the bike upright. When we rode along the shore of the great salt lake we were sandblasted with blowing sand and salt.

Three firsts for me today including highest daily mileage (118…Larry’s done 138!), first back-to-back century rides, and another state border. Oh yeah, first time I’ve been blown off the road too!

On day nine I told you about the scary accident that Ken had. I didn’t tell you everything like the fact that they had to airlift him to Salt Lake for medical attention. Larry and I were talking about visiting him at the hospital so imagine my shock when I saw him in the hallway at our hotel a few hours ago. Although he’s pretty beat-up he looks a lot better than the last time I saw him laying on the side of I-80! He’s walking under his own power with the a walker and is managing the pain without the help of drugs. One tough dude who I’m sure will be back on the bike soon. He came to our evening route rap so everyone could say good-bye. He’s a classy guy too!

Tomorrow is our fist day off so I’ll be looking for the best ice cream in town…already have a lead on Leatherby’s…hope the ice cream isn’t like the beer.

Today’s ratings: (the higher the better or easier)

Scenery: 7 (sweeping vistas, trains, salt flats)

Road conditions: 3 (lots of traffic, hazards, AND the wind)

Grunt factor: 2