Oklahoma
Wednesday May 29, 2019. Dalhart, TX to Guymon, OK. 72 miles
Elevation Drop 865 feet. Cumuative 1,300 miles
We continue to have unseasonably cool weather with a starting temp of 49 degrees at 7:00 AM.
Our friendly tailwind had turned into a 20 mph headwind with gusts of 30 or more mph. We have also lost our sunny skies, so it feels even colder, particularly with the "wind chill" factor. The wind has turned what seemed likely to be a slightly shorter day into a real indurance contest. I personally would much rather climb than face a wind.
A group of us formed a pace line in which we drafted behind other riders to conserve energy until it is your turn to "pull" or lead the line, expending extra effort to break the wind for the riders behind. Even with the pace line our speed was a fraction of the average speed yesterday, and a long arduous day was inevitable.
Again we are on US Route 54 all day, which is generally a 2-3 lane highway with speed limits varying, but up to 75 mph. Fortunately the shoulders are generally good and the traffic is generally light to moderate. There were lots of livestock trucks with a very distinctive and unpleasant odor to herald there approach. However, something about all the little slits in their sides produces a brief but push that feels like someone shoving you in the back which the other semis don't. Although it was at times jarring, it was welcome.
The benefit of drafting in a pace line is directly related to how closely you can follow the rider in front of you, so as you start to drop further behind that rider, the benefit from drafting diminishes quickly. Therefore, to achieve the most advantage you need to ride as closely as you can comfortably, which means that you must be even more vigilant than you are ordinarily, and that it is not reasonable to try to drink or eat anything. It also means that if you drop very far behind the rider ahead of you for very long, it becomes increasingly harder to catch up again, and if you drop off the back of the line it means that you must work against the full force of the wind continuously. Since there was only one scheduled SAG stop it was important to try to consume and carry as much fluid and food as possible. The wind was so punishing that several riders decided to ride in the van aftr the SAG, wisely, since it may take a few days to recover if you bonk, hit the wall, or whatever you want to call it when you have left everything you have on the road and are totally wrung out.
About 15 miles after the SAG, continuing in the pace line I was having increasing difficulty hanging on, and could feel that if I did not stop to eat or drink, I was likely to bonk in the near future. As much as I hated to do so, I stopped and ate some of my high carbohydrate food and drank a half a bottle of fluid as the pace line moved on. While I was doing this, my new friend, Charlie, a retired lawyer from Minneapolis, approached and asked how I was doing. We decided right then that we would stop at the next available lunch spot, and these were few and far between. I mention that Charlie is my new friend, but all the members of the tour are my new friends. This is a really congenial, cohesive and very interesting bunch of people.
Fortunately for us we were only about 5 miles from Texhoma, TX/OK. This tiny town straddles the border of Tesas and Oklahoma. We pulled into LeAnn's Diner where we met about 10 Texhomans who were very friendly and very inquisitive. The food was first rate and the hospitality was second to none. Best of all, while we were eating, the conditions improved significantly. The temperature rose to the mid 60's, the wind speed declined a bit and it was not quite so right in our face, so that we were able to reach Guymon, OK, our stop for the night, about an hour and a half later.
After I cleaned up and took care of a few chores, I enjoyed a beer with my sister Prudy and brother-in-law John, who were able to spend the afternoon visiting a friend. After dinner, Prudy, John and I had Braum's ice cream, which was wonderful, and John treated. The ice cream was amazing, and the rumor is that there is a Braum's at every town in Kansas, at least the ones where we will be staying. I haven't consumed much alcohol to this point during the tour, but I did have a night cap with Prudy and John, and then retired for a good night's sleep after one of the most exhausting days I have spent on a bike.
Elevation Drop 865 feet. Cumuative 1,300 miles
We continue to have unseasonably cool weather with a starting temp of 49 degrees at 7:00 AM.
Our friendly tailwind had turned into a 20 mph headwind with gusts of 30 or more mph. We have also lost our sunny skies, so it feels even colder, particularly with the "wind chill" factor. The wind has turned what seemed likely to be a slightly shorter day into a real indurance contest. I personally would much rather climb than face a wind.
A group of us formed a pace line in which we drafted behind other riders to conserve energy until it is your turn to "pull" or lead the line, expending extra effort to break the wind for the riders behind. Even with the pace line our speed was a fraction of the average speed yesterday, and a long arduous day was inevitable.
Again we are on US Route 54 all day, which is generally a 2-3 lane highway with speed limits varying, but up to 75 mph. Fortunately the shoulders are generally good and the traffic is generally light to moderate. There were lots of livestock trucks with a very distinctive and unpleasant odor to herald there approach. However, something about all the little slits in their sides produces a brief but push that feels like someone shoving you in the back which the other semis don't. Although it was at times jarring, it was welcome.
The benefit of drafting in a pace line is directly related to how closely you can follow the rider in front of you, so as you start to drop further behind that rider, the benefit from drafting diminishes quickly. Therefore, to achieve the most advantage you need to ride as closely as you can comfortably, which means that you must be even more vigilant than you are ordinarily, and that it is not reasonable to try to drink or eat anything. It also means that if you drop very far behind the rider ahead of you for very long, it becomes increasingly harder to catch up again, and if you drop off the back of the line it means that you must work against the full force of the wind continuously. Since there was only one scheduled SAG stop it was important to try to consume and carry as much fluid and food as possible. The wind was so punishing that several riders decided to ride in the van aftr the SAG, wisely, since it may take a few days to recover if you bonk, hit the wall, or whatever you want to call it when you have left everything you have on the road and are totally wrung out.
About 15 miles after the SAG, continuing in the pace line I was having increasing difficulty hanging on, and could feel that if I did not stop to eat or drink, I was likely to bonk in the near future. As much as I hated to do so, I stopped and ate some of my high carbohydrate food and drank a half a bottle of fluid as the pace line moved on. While I was doing this, my new friend, Charlie, a retired lawyer from Minneapolis, approached and asked how I was doing. We decided right then that we would stop at the next available lunch spot, and these were few and far between. I mention that Charlie is my new friend, but all the members of the tour are my new friends. This is a really congenial, cohesive and very interesting bunch of people.
Fortunately for us we were only about 5 miles from Texhoma, TX/OK. This tiny town straddles the border of Tesas and Oklahoma. We pulled into LeAnn's Diner where we met about 10 Texhomans who were very friendly and very inquisitive. The food was first rate and the hospitality was second to none. Best of all, while we were eating, the conditions improved significantly. The temperature rose to the mid 60's, the wind speed declined a bit and it was not quite so right in our face, so that we were able to reach Guymon, OK, our stop for the night, about an hour and a half later.
After I cleaned up and took care of a few chores, I enjoyed a beer with my sister Prudy and brother-in-law John, who were able to spend the afternoon visiting a friend. After dinner, Prudy, John and I had Braum's ice cream, which was wonderful, and John treated. The ice cream was amazing, and the rumor is that there is a Braum's at every town in Kansas, at least the ones where we will be staying. I haven't consumed much alcohol to this point during the tour, but I did have a night cap with Prudy and John, and then retired for a good night's sleep after one of the most exhausting days I have spent on a bike.
Really enjoying your posts, Jeff! Keep on pedaling and hopefully the wind will be more of a breeze for you.
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