It was a somber start to the ride today. Overcast skies and two riders bidding farewell at our launch. Aside from Brian and Diana, the remaining group rode out together and remained in small sets within a mile or so of each other a lot of the day. In the afternoon, Joseph, Austin, and I cranked it up just a little to make sure we beat any afternoon rain showers threatening during the day. A few drops fell while we sipped our recovery drinks in the parking lot central to our fancy little cabins in at the Dover Inn Motel.
Lots a little rollers here and there, but the main highlight was crossing the Tennessee River. We were “out in the country” for the whole ride. We might have been passed by a handful of cars on some of the backroads we were on. A quiet and uneventful ride today. I guess wearing my raincoat for the first 20 miles scared off the rain clouds for a while (again!). We are up to a total of 20 rain drops for the on-the-road portion of our trip, most of which were as we finished or just started out. So lucky so far, weather-wise. Not sure that luck will make it to the end.
Dover is located near The Land Between the Lakes (between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake). A part of the world many of you probably didn’t know existed–like many of our stops. I know our country is primarily made up of towns and cities just like the ones I’ve seen. I have been to several during my railroad days. But seeing it by bicycle has reaffirmed that there are many, many Americans, who are far removed from the bigger cities, who have a unique lifestyle that is far different from mine.
Pics: Lunch in Puryear, TN. The Jeff/Joseph cabin–note my country bumpkin laundry drying all over the porch.
By the numbers: 77.9 miles, 4:45:03, 16.4 mph average, 2,621 feet; Totals so far: 2,532.3 miles, 89,080 feet
Helmet-cam: Country roads rock!; Jibber-Jabbering in the Peleton; Crossing Kentucky Lake
Next stop: Nashville TN (our last rest day follows), 94.2 miles away
Video update:
Today was to be a great, great day. Flat roads. Two state lines. Crossing the Mighty Mississippi River on a ferry. And it started out great. Bill, Austin, Joseph and I were cooking along averaging 19-20 mph. Then we reached the first van stop for water and Karl informed us there had been an accident within the other group. As we learned later, William had touched the wheel of the rider in front of him and went down. Dana ran into him (over him) and went down, too. William ended up with a split lip and lots of road rash and some bruises (and a cracked helmet—-WEAR YOUR HELMET, CYCLISTS!). Unfortunately, Dana ended up with a fractured elbow and will require surgery and a pin put in. Her ride is over. As well as her husband Brit’s.
Brit and Marquette rode to lunch while the other guides attended to Dana and William. Dana told Brit to proceed as she didn’t know how serious it was. We waited for them at the lunch spot to see what the plan would be. In an act of solidarity to Brit and Dana, the four of us road with Brit (and Marquette) the rest of the 43 miles to Union City where we found Dana and William at the hotel.
When riding in a peleton, these things happen. You hope your reflexes can pull you through close calls. But sometimes, there just isn’t enough time to maneuver around. And keeping your concentration on the riders in front of you for 100 miles can be challenging. Luck often has something to do with it. Bad or good. We will miss Brit and Dana dearly. They had provided a great spark to our social dynamics. They were always smiling and positive (as seen in yesterday’s video–now dubbed the Sports Illustrated Blog Curse).
The ride was somber today. We enjoyed the terrain, the crossing of the River and state lines, but it wasn’t the same knowing Dana was not en route with us and taking dozens of great pictures. She’s the strongest female rider in her age-group that I know, and as far as we’re concerned, she conquered the hardest parts of this ride and would have finished easily. She proved she could do it, no doubt.
Pics and Videos: Including a video of the Members of the Pharaoh Motorcycle Gang giving us directions to get to Charleston faster.
Videos of us crossing the Mississippi:
More pics:
By the numbers: 101.6 miles, 600 feet of climbing (ah, flat), 5:58:13, 17 mph average (19.2 before lunch, 14.9 after); Totals so far: 2,454.4 miles, 86,459 feet of climbing.
Helmet-cam footage: Out in the Missouri cotton fields; Ferry Ride 1; Ferry Ride 2
Next stop: Dover TN, 72.8 miles away
Video recap: None today. Not much else to add to the above.
Is 10-10-10 good luck or bad luck or no luck at all? Today’s ride had a bit of everything and maybe too much of some things. I had to pull out the “W” for some superman power after yesterday’s ride chock full of rollers (chock full–since when do I used that terminology–I’ve been out in the country too long, me thinks). More of the Mark Twain National Forest (man, that forest is big). We’re now just about out of the Ozarks and entering the Mississippi Valley.
About 12 miles into the ride, we had to ride through about four miles of gravel. Always a challenge. Then before lunch, we got another mile and a half of it, complete with 8-10% grade up and down. I was fishtailing like I was driving on ice. I just kept telling myself the advice Dave the Wave gave me, “Trust your wheel.” Joseph had some tire-related flats in both sections. Brian went down and was awarded some road rash. Really could have used a mountain bike there, or maybe something even more robust:
Austin, Dave, and I tackled a majority of it together and then Austin and I finished it up. There was wind. There were more rollers. And there was a flat rear tire for me. In the process of changing it out, I lost a little chunk of my thumb. Just a teeny weeny chunk. Hardly miss it (except when hitting the spacebar on the keyboard–ouch).
Still enjoying good weather, good rides, good friends. Starting to think of the end of the ride. It will be sad to go back to normal life, but I’m certainly excited to see my family and sleep in my own bed!!
Pics:
By the numbers: 110.7 miles, 16.6 mph avg, 6:41:10 riding time, 5,479 feet of climbing; Totals so far: 2,352.8 miles, 85,859 feet
Helmet-cam footage: Gravel riding (offensive language warning-GDI); More rollers!; And more rolling terrain
Next stop: Union City TN, 101.2 miles (crossing through Kentucky and the Mississippi River!)
Video recap with Brit and Dana:
As we departed Branson, there was fog all around. But unlike leaving Taos, there was no fog in my head. Today I didn’t have the body or mind questioning why we are at it again after stopping for a day off. No, today, I was ready to roll again knowing we are less than two weeks away from the Atlantic Ocean. Amazing to think that there’s just one more rest day ahead and less than a dozen rides. Although, the next stretch will be as challenging as the others. Long rides. Hilly rides. The cumulative effect of all the miles so far will present a challenge, too.
Today, we rolled through the Mark Twain National Forest some more. Trees as far as the eye could see. And rolling terrain. Lunch was at a very nice spot along the scenic banks of Bull Shoals Lake. It was mainly Austin and I. There was little wind, so today most folks just took the hills at their own pace–not much reason to draft.
What a stark difference West Plains is to Branson. Although West Plains claims to have over 10,000 residents (to Branson’s 8,000). Branson is a mecca of sorts, and West Plains is just another sleepy, friendly little town like all the others we’ve visited.
Karl put on a new chain this morning. I guess the 2,000+ miles I put on my formerly-new chain wore it down considerably. Possibly due to hanging in bigger gears a wee bit too much. Oops. And Karl put on my new tires yesterday, too. Wear and tear accumulates a lot faster when you ride about 100 miles a day.
And if you missed yesterday’s announcement on Real Time GPS location of our team, be sure to check out Day 27 Update.
Videos and Pics:
By the numbers: 101.9 miles, 17.5 mph avg, 5:50:05 riding time, 6,719 feet of climbing (I’ve been told I’m low on my climbing numbers by maybe 10%); Totals so far: 2,242.1 miles (about 1,000 more to go!) and 80,380 feet of climbing.
Helmet-cam: Coming into lunch; Rollercoaster
Next stop: Poplar Bluff, 109.7 miles away.
Video recap:
I slept in (6:45). I worked. I ate breakfast. I did my laundry. I worked. I watched Karl work on my bike. I went to the “most popular show in Branson” with Brit, Dana, and Bill (getting a cab is a challenge in a town that has 13). Had dinner at Cantina Laredo with Austin, Brit and Dana. A simple day with no riding.
Branson is a cross between Las Vegas (with only the shows–no casinos), Wisconsin Dells (the quirkiness, without the camping), and maybe Carmel (shops). And the mean age of tourist is 54. Eight million of them a year. At the show we went to, 95% of the audience had gray hair. This is not my kind of destination, but the show was fine and it beats 125 miles on a bike.
Our cab driver today is the son of the youngest Lennon Sister from the Lawrence Welk Show. I guess the whole family moved out here years ago and a few of the Sisters still entertain at the Welk Theatre for the Christmas Shows. And we learned that the Lennon family are involved with a lot of the governing bodies in the town (tourist board, aldermen, etc.). Frankly, I don’t know anything about the Lennon Sisters, but maybe some of you do. There you have it.
Bill got his GPS tracking device data to be available on the web. So now, you can track us (or Bill) real time (within an hour, anyway). He explains more about it in this page of his blog. I put a link to the GPS tracking map in the Blogroll (see right column of my blog).
Pics:
Next stop: West Plains MO, 100.9 miles (the first of three century rides in a row)
A few obstacles here and there, but actually a mainly peaceful ride (with no shoulders). Lots of nice little homes (each equipped with a dog, some leashed, some loose). Nice forested area in the Mark Twain National Forest (with no shoulders). Friendly people (except for the occasional unfriendly native sporting poor dental hygiene and a poor soda can throwing ability). Great weather (no really, great weather). And the camaraderie of Austin and Joseph. Can’t beat it! We’ve made it to Branson, MO without incident. Our third rest day location out of four.
Incidentally, Joseph’s media blitz yesterday did make it to the Joplin Globe. Wow! And yours truly is set right along side Joseph in the article. See it here: link to article.
Pics:
And here’s a picture of Dave the Wave’s shoe. We were so excited he wore something other than his sandals to dinner, I took a picture of it:
By the numbers: 89.5 miles, 4:48:21, 18.6 mph avg, 4,039 feet of climbing; Totals so far: 2,140.2 miles, 73,661 feet.
Helmet-cam footage: Lunchtime ; Entering Branson; A Taste of the Strip in Branson
Video Recap (An Exclusive!):
What a great day. We finally crossed into Missouri and can look back on Oklahoma with fairly fond memories. Surprisingly. In past years Oklahoma has been windy and sometimes rainy. We had one bad day where Austin and I buckled down and trudged through a windy day of 100+ miles. Other than that, it was not too bad. We had a social ride on Sunday and sort of a smaller version on Monday. Today, Joseph, Austin and I just rolled along. I felt particularly good in spots and took some long pulls (especially on some rollers) and still felt good at the end of our 112 miles.
Joseph has been the media king for his cause, Big Brothers/Big Sisters. He has lots of media opportunities lined up. Today, he and I rode around the Best Western parking lot as a Joplin newspaper photographer took our pictures. Who knows if I’ll make it to print, but it was fun anyway. We were so fast today, we barely stopped at the vans for water and beat the first van to the hotel front door. Although, part of that was due to the team being very spread out.
Pics: OK and The Show Me State (Line)!
By the numbers: 111.7 miles, 5:50:34, 2,799 feet, 19.1 mph average (for the first 27 miles after lunch, we were averaging 20.4 mph–nice tailwind!); Totals so far: 2,050.7 miles and 69,622 feet.
Helmet-cam: A cold start to the day; A standard sample of small town, USA.
Video recap:
You know that bumper sticker: I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m making good time. That’s the theme for today’s ride. At about Mile 50 of 71 (scheduled), we missed our turn to Bartlesville. We being, Joseph, Austin, and Karl. I think the directions said this turn is easy to miss. I guess we should pay attention to directions, eh? We had a hard time stopping to re-assess our direction (and not just because guys hate to consult or ask for directions). We were simply having way too much fun as I while I was at the front pulling the guys up the rollers with a great tail wind at our backs. I’m told we were going 26-30 mph. And then, the announcement that we may have missed the turn and have to go back 4 miles (into the wind). 
We contemplated just continuing forward and asking for a pickup and then drudged back. So our 71-miler turned into a 82-miler. Alas.
Some of our route took us through Osage Indian Reservation. We had lunch in Pawhuska, a once-vibrant prairie town whose Main St. buildings are now largely empty. It claims to be the home of the first Boy Scout Troop, organized in 1909.
Before dinner we walked over to the only Frank Lloyd Wright skyscraper (built in 1956) in the United States and had drinks on the 15th floor. Check out the pics below–obviously a F.L.W. creation, don’t you think?
One major milestone today: I crossed over 10,000 miles for the year. The guys tell me 12,000 is a bigger milestone. Hmmmm.
Next stop: Neosho, MO (Another state line!); 111.3 miles. We’ll cross 2,000 miles on this ride.
Pics: Price Tower by F.L.W. inside and out plus some views of town.
By the numbers: 81.5 miles, 18.9 mph average, 4:19:00, 2,579 feet of climbing. Totals so far: 1,939 miles, 66,823 feet of climbing
Video (GAME SHOW!):
Today was a fairly non-eventful day. In a way, it was a continuation of yesterday’s “Social Ride.” Although, today it was just the three of us: Joseph, Austin, and me. We mainly talked and didn’t break any speed records (maybe 19 mph before lunch and sub-17 after). We certainly had to slow down when we hit several miles of gravel road. At some points, the gravel got to be several inches deep–it practically stopped us in our tracks. So to speak.
It was chilly today. Broke out the winter jacket and put the toe-warmers on my shoes. But no rain, no horrific wind (just enough to notice it). I guess we had a quicker pace in the morning as we got to Trek Travel van before lunch was out. Karl was busy warming up food in the Conoco rest stop. Once Joseph and Austin spied the Dairy Queen attached to the building, there was no stopping them. Hot hamburgers and ice cream was calling their name. Alas, poor Karl looked a bit sad as we road over to his spread with ice cream in hand (I ate a little of his spread anyway–he did have warm apple cider and good fruit).
We passed only two exciting landmarks. The Interstate 35 Highway where I contemplated the distance to home sweet home (the closest I’ll be on our route). I decided to stick with the guys and finish this thing. And we passed a huge Conoco-Phillips refinery (where you are not supposed to take pictures–frankly not a pretty sight anyway). I think we smelled it before we got to it. Perhaps, Dana and Brit spied something more photographic for me to steal off their blog (we’ll see). It was good to see Brian back in the saddle today–toughed it out with the “bug.”
More pics courtesy of Dana: this is the second time we’ve seen a group of birds swooping around us–Dana caught them on digital this time. And a lovely smelling refinery outside of town.
By the numbers: 72.2 miles, 17.3 mph, 4:10:02, 1,040 feet. Totals so far: 1,857.5 miles and 64,244 feet of climbing.
Next stop: Bartlesville, OK, 71.1 miles away.
Video recap:
Today started out a little ominous. I looked like a storm was coming. And then Tera had to add that it rained last year on this day, too. And then I put on my iPod (one ear only) and the first song to come up (totally random–shuffle): Here Comes the Rain Again by the Eurythmics. I swear! I put on my raincoat after that. We got 5 drops. Phew.
Last year, this day had a disastrous result which is covered in the video recap. This year, Brian and Diana got a cab for the 112 miles, instead of riding. Brian officially has the bug that we thought we were through. Not good. And Bill has a bad cold or chest infection, but rode through it. And Dana somehow survived after eating yogurt at the Holiday Inn Express that I pointed out had expired on September 24th (all the yogurts had the same date–I came to breakfast too late to warn her).
We ending up riding together as a whole group today. It took a while as there were flats and a milder pace, but we enjoyed the novelty of all working together and the countryside was a bit nicer than yesterday. We also started out by going through Boiling Springs State Park where we saw lots of deer and wild turkey. The roads were very quiet today, too. Unlike yesterday’s monster truck highway rally. A nice, peaceful ride.
Plus the wind was barely a factor. Thankfully. Temps have been in the 40′s at the start, 50′s by lunch, 60′s by the end. This requires dressing in layers, but not a big issue when you have the world’s largest jersey back-pocket following you in the form of a van.
Videos from today: AM update and lunch update
By the numbers: 112.4 miles, 7:22:00 riding time, 2,984 feet climbing, 15.2 mph avg; Totals so far: 1,785.3, 63,204 ft of climbing
Helmet-cam footage: Heading out; Boiling Springs State Park (just missed videoing a deer crossing the road); Free gas in Helena?
Video recap with Dave the Wave:
Bonus pics: From last night’s dinner (it came that way–not my creative juices–as I have none by dinnertime). More appropriate pic for today than yesterday, I think. And the re-enactment of Dave’s fall last year (note the chalklines the other guides put down before we got there).
Bonus helmet-cam footage: Dave’s re-enactment
