We are getting closer to our rest day in Boise and that was certainly on our minds for the ride today. Although the mileage was shorter than all but one of our days during this spell of riding, the day was still going to be tough because we were starting to get fatigued and the temperature was forecasted to get over 100°F in the afternoon. Even with the lack of humidity, triple digit temperature was still brutal and required us to be thinking of our bodies and our hydration as we ticked the miles off. Fortunately, we had an air-conditioned stayover to retreat to and showers at the local pool this evening to help us cope.
Ride Overview
Mileage: 72.3 miles
Elevation: +1,223 ft. / -1,564 ft.
Points of Interest: Snake River, Train Line, Glenns Ferry, Mountain Home (Community Pool and Skatepark)
Tales of the Trail
Rain worries had no place in our minds last night which was very nice after our exciting night in Arco yesterday. The morning was a smooth operation and we were outside and ready to ride in no time. When we made it out to the roads, traffic was pretty light again and the vast expanses of fields, hills, and mountains in the distance were nice to look at. The group that left first (Maaike, Tada, Cole, and Vedang) had a little longer to appreciate the views from off their bikes when Tada caught a flat at mile 8. Other than that, the ride to the first rest stop was a very relaxing time. Slight tailwinds again made pedaling easy and the temperature, at least for that moment, was just perfect.
Our break was just at a gas station, but there was a country store across the road that at least Cole and Vedang checked out. The prices were way too much to actually be considering a purchase of anything. Generally though, for both this rest stop and the next, which was just beside the road, everyone who was riding was trying to keep their pace moving right along and time at the stops very short. The forecasted high temperatures had us a little scared, so we were trying to get as many miles behind us as we could before the heat became grueling.
The exception today was our third rest stop. Anthony had found a good spot along the route, a Mexican restaurant, called Lulu’s Cafe and we stopped for a while to catch our breath, cool off, and eat a bunch of good food. A few of us purchased the real sugar sodas that, particularly on such a hot day, always seem to taste just that much better than the ones with corn syrup.
Over the last stretch, we had some climbing and Vedang was up for the challenge. He led his group to some super fast speeds uphill, so much so that Maaike set the second fastest time for a woman up a couple of the climbs (as recorded on Strava). The team back on the road were rolling consistently and made it to the stayover not long after. We were welcomed to Mountain Home with air conditioning and Powerades in the refrigerator. There was even macaroni and cheese and pulled pork for dinner! Our situation for the night really couldn’t be much better.
After refueling our bodies, we had showers scheduled at the public pool, but that also meant we had a chance to swim! Most decided, with the temperature still in the 90s, to have a jump into the water and those who did were certainly happy. We cooled off and cleaned up and walked back to the stayover. Along the way, Max showed off some skateboarding skills with an ollie at the skatepark and not long afterwards we are getting to sleep. Tomorrow we make it to Boise and our rest day. This should be a fun one too because the World Cup final is tomorrow and we are going to see if we can make it the just under 60 miles in time to watch the game. Read on to Day 57 tomorrow to find out!
