A lonnggg day in the heartland....

Sitting at dinner tonight with our mechanic who is also one of the best riders in the group and (in his wonderful Texas drawl) he said "Anyone who says this wasn't one tough ride didn't ride the roads that I did". And I said thanks, I needed to hear that from a rider like him. We knew it would be long - 107 miles and our second century in the past six days and nothing under 75 in the days in between. What really made this one a killer was the wind - again.

We started the day with another delay as we woke up to the rumble of thunder again and at 6:00 AM a pretty steady rain. Our normal 7:15 start was delayed to 8:15, not a great way to start a 107 mile day. Again we were expecting lots of rolling up and down hills for at least the first half or so of the ride. When we did finally get underway the clouds were still black and heavy but the rain was pretty much over and the only reminder was the wet roads. Our first hill was right out of the hotel, a great little wake-up call after sitting around the lobby waiting to get started.

A couple of miles outside of town the winds started to come up but were mostly crosswinds and while that presents its own kind of challenge it was not a direct force in our faces. Somewhere around mile 10 the wind shifted - or the road curved, I cannot remember - and the headwinds started in earnest. It was another of those days where no matter what gear I was in I was never going faster than 11 or 12 mph - and my legs were telling me that this was going to be a tough day. We had a SAG somewhere around mile 30 and it was almost a mistake to stop. Starting up after a 15 minute break was like trying to start the car on a sub-zero day - the engine groans and tries to catch but you know it really doesn't want to move. We moved down the road trying to get into a rhythm but that wind just keeps coming at you. And so we continued. The sun finally started peeking out from the clouds and we were moving through Illinois farm country that just went on and on. Every now and then I would glance to the side of the road watch the grasses being bent double by the same wind that was beating up on us. Somewhere around mile 55 we stopped at a gas station/convenience store for a chocolate milk and candy bar - quick energy food. One of the other riders gave me this kind of dejected look and said this stuff (the wind) is getting to my head...I don't know if I can make it...P.S. he did.

The country side we covered was almost all farm land and the one picture I have is kind of typical of what we saw all day. The fields were mostly corn with an occasional field of wheat or hay. The grove of trees conceals a farm house and barn and also a real one room school house. I took just a couple of pictures today - was simply working too hard to stop most of the time.

At mile 70 we made a couple of quick turns into the little town of Jacksonville and stopped at a Dairy Queen - we hardly ever do not stop at a DQ if we can find one. Anyhow, a grilled cheese sandwich, a root beer float and then a couple of energy bars and we were back on the road for the last 37 miles. And then - wonder of wonders - we took a turn and suddenly we had a marvelous tail wind. From 12 miles an hour we were now moving at 19 - 21 mph and flying. When I say this was a real life saver I am not kidding. The change of direction carried us all the way into Springfield and I truly wonder if I might still be out on the road, perhaps sleeping under a tree, were it not for that blessed tail wind.

Truly the last 30 miles was fun but there was no doubt that we were one very tired group tonight. Most nights we would go out somewhere nearby for dinner but tonight the plan was to call out for pizza and it was perfect. All of us were quite content to sit in the hotel lobby and breakfast area with a beer or glass of wine (courtesy of the hotel) and then back up to our rooms.

So for the day: 107 miles, 7 hours and 10 minutes of riding time (8 1/2 hours total on the road), and a 14.9 mph average (only because of that last 30 miles). And tomorrow it's an 87 mile trip to Champaign followed by a much anticipated day off. I think I can probably go off to sleep without checking the weather reports.