Miles: 71.1
Total Elevation Gain (ft): 1000.6
Weather: Sunny, Warm
Hillbilly Insults: 2
Roadkill: 12 (1 Chipmunks, 3 Birds, 1 Skunks, 5 Snakes, , 2 Turtles)
Bugs Swallowed: 2
Mean Dogs Chasing: 0
I'm beginning to feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. The plains, cattle and sky looks the same day after day. It's a shame that such brilliant greens, blues and whites can be rendered as a monotonous 9th Circle of Hell after a while. The only interruption is someone pulling a 5th wheel too close and too fast to the shoulder.
As I mentioned a couple of days ago, the route is fairly flat and I'm catchIng good tailwinds for long stretches. Yet, for those of you that ride, such conditions don't necessarily make the course easy. It requires constant pedaling with little coasting relief. All of that translates into more pressure on the saddle. Just for a variety, I switched the Bottechia saddle for the white Felt. It's like having vinyl seats in a Bugati and is an insult to the Colnago. No matter, I wanted to mix up the pain points.
One challenge about being in such an open environment: You can tell when you're on a false flat and psychological attempts at denial are futile. If I'm riding on a tree-lined road or a mountain path with a rock wall, the grade is obstructed. Out here, there's just infinite space to the right and left. If the pavement is askew ever-so slightly before you, the ascent is obvious. It's not as bad as the sinking feeling I get when I see mile markers, but an annoyance nonetheless.
Non-cyclists: A false flat is a low-gradient climb, usually occurring partway up a steeper climb. So-called because while it may look deceptively flat and easy (especially after the steep climb preceding it), it is still a climb.
Beyond that, not much to report today. A relatively short ride to Wolf Point, MT tomorrow, then I face pure headwinds for a while going South.
The negative kvetching is just banter, I'm still thrilled to be doing this. A dream come true. Thanks to all of you posting encouraging comments and the folks that made it possible, namely my mother and top-shelf wife. Mwaa!
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