Well, I am way behind in my reporting and I'll try my best to catch up a little tonight. After a 76 mile ride today I'm in a nice resort in Fairmont Hot Springs, MT.
Yesterday- Day 2
76 miles scheduled... I completed 58 and sagged in the last 18. I felt completely fine about it. It was the hardest day I've ever spent on a bike. After a slow climb up the Bitterroot Valley we finally hit Chief Joseph Pass. It was not exactly clear when the "official" climb up the Pass began but once it did it was 7 to 9 miles at between 8 and 9 percent grade with NO change whatsoever... absolutely unrelenting.... not a single step... nothing. The first few miles were the hardest and had no switchbacks so you could see what was ahead. The upper stretches had switchbacks which helped psychologically. The road had a shoulder but there was moderate high speed traffic to think about. I stopped four times on the way up and make no apologies. (About 1/3 of the way up there was a water stop at a cutout and a lot of people gave up there.) The ride leader estimated that only about 60-65% of the group got to the top without riding in the sag wagon. This climb took a lot of time and we were into the afternoon with high heat and broiling sun to deal with.... just 30 miles of the ride was completed at the top.
Moving on from the top, my core temp was getting high and I stopped after about 15 miles to cool my hotfoot in a little river by the road. It helped. Dropping into the Big Hole Valley is like entering rural Arizona in the summertime and when we hit the little town of Wisdom at 58 miles, my friend Larry and I headed for one of the two town bars and told the ride leader to add us to the sag list. Three or four sag vehicles were busy rescuing riders all up and down the road. The decision to stop was made easy since the last 18 miles were going to be into a 30 mph headwind with no shelter from the sun and through a mosquito infested area. Some people who did that part of the ride paid a big price in dehydration and sun exposure. Nobody said it was fun.
Strava Data for Day 2 (don't laugh)-
http://app.strava.com/rides/11815024
Day 2 Selected Pictures:
Today- Day 3
Yesterday's ride took a lot out of me but somehow I found some energy and finished today's 76 mile ride in remarkably good shape. We were in strong wind, dodging weather disaster all day... but fortunately it did not rain and the wind was mostly quartering or from behind. A lot of people got cold but I lucked out and chose today's riding clothing correctly. On a steep downhill run I flatted due to hot rims (I think) but luckily it was the rear and a scary moment did not turn out badly. I have this on video and it should be fun to watch later. For the last 5 miles we dealt with a really scary howling wind (50 mph or more I would guess) from the side and then from in front. People were getting blown all over the road and I heard that some fell. A center pivot irrigation sprayer way off the road gave us a cold shower as we went by. For once it was good to weigh 200 pounds. Pics are not yet processed but they and the video should be good. Tomorrow I'll have wifi, so maybe then. For now, here's a sample photo taken at the top of the Continental Divide just before the descent where I flatted:
And here's the Strava data:
http://app.strava.com/rides/11815016
It's a beautiful clear night and the stars and a half moon are shining brightly in the big sky of Montana. It's around 45 degrees I would estimate. It is good to be alive.