Today started out great, as we got some tailwinds and flat roads, which gave us an early morning boost, but the ride got more difficult as we dealt with draining headwinds and a final uphill stretch. The team had a longer lunch stop today, and we enjoyed getting food from Desert Stop to fuel us for a long day. We were treated to a nice meal at Mountain View RV Park, and most importantly, we celebrated Sofia’s 22nd birthday!
Quote of the Day
““Why are other groups dead and ours is still alive?” ”
RIDE OVERVIEW
Mileage: 91.6 Miles
Elevation: 1,770 ft.
Points of Interest: Desert Stop (food truck), lots of desert (there wasn’t much out here)
Ride Dedication: Emi Travis
Tales of the Trail
The morning started at Sugar-Salem High School with some breakfast in the home economics room, where everyone had some time to reminisce on their high school days. It was a speedy start to the morning, with no wind and descents, and our first rest stop was at a truck stop, where we met some really cute dogs! We had another easy stretch through the desert landscape with another side-of-the-road rest stop. Not much happened, and the landscape was very barren, but we were intrigued by the many surrounding Butte hills! The next stretch would prove to be much harder, with extreme head/crosswinds that slowed us down heavily and put a mental and physical toll on everyone. After taking our time with the heavy winds, we made it to Howe, where we were delighted to get food from Desert Stop, a food truck serving great ice cream, slushies, and their popular desert rat burger, which got a high rating from everyone who tried it! After enjoying lunch, everyone felt exhausted, and most of us decided to take a nap on the grass before finishing out the ride.
After taking some rest, we hit the road and had a difficult uphill stretch with headwinds, and we had another quick side of the road rest stop. After a mentally tough day, we finally made it to Mountain View RV Park, where we set up our tents. The owners were incredibly kind, and they gave us a food donation, raised some money for us, and even gave us quarters to use their showers and laundry machines. We were also excited to celebrate Sofia’s 22nd birthday, and the hosts brought out cheesecake and sparklers as we all sang Happy Birthday to end the night.
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider: Nicole Tchorz
How are you feeling today?
I’m feeling good, quite tired from all the headwinds today, but we had a nice nap at one of the last rest stops, which revived me.
Which chore have you been doing for the team in the past week? Can you share your process doing this chore?
I’ve been writing the journals this summer with Dev, basically we switch off every day with who writes the tales of the trails for the day and who does the interview, so that way we both work on each day's journal together. It’s definitely rough at times to keep up with journals on days we get in really late, or when we have tough stretches with no wifi, but I enjoy writing the journals a lot because I get to reflect on the day and remember all the fun small things that happened!
What’s the best food you’ve eaten on the ride so far?
I really liked the burger I had at Yankee Doodles Cafe, I also really liked the garlic cheeseburger from Cottonbottom Inn a while ago. A good burger goes a long way for me.
Do you have a favorite accessory to wear with your ride uniform?
I don’t have funny socks like other people on the team do, but one of my favorite accessories is the necklace I wear every day. It was a gift from my grandma for my 18th birthday, and I like carrying it around. I also love the neck gaiter that we got from Damon Runyon at the beginning of the trip, I wear it every day, either to protect my scalp from the sun, cover my neck, head, and ears when it’s cold, or soak it in cold water and have it around my neck on hot days. It’s very helpful to use on the trip.
Any favorite team memories so far?
I really liked hiking up the Flatirons in Colorado with the team because I enjoy hiking, and being able to do that with them and explore the mountains was a fun time. Today was also a funny experience for me, where at one of the last rest stops of the day, everyone just mutually agreed it would be acceptable to take a bit longer and take naps in the grass. We were all knocked out at one point, which was funny.
Anything else you want to talk about?
I really like everyone's music taste on the team. We all have good music taste, and it really does help me get through some of the tougher days. Whenever Yuncong plays her songs, it's like we are in a video game beating some impossible level; the vibes are awesome.