Ever Get a Sign? Crossed into Illinois, 3rd State! Day 4, 75 Miles
First, a big thank you to Glenn Kerr, my good friend and technology guru. Upon arrival in Kansas, my travel lap top started melting down. JoAnn overnighted my big laptop and all was good, but only for a day. Then that laptop went completely black screen after the explorer crashed. Desperate, I contacted Glenn on a Saturday night at 9pm and he got me back on course. Aside from being a great all around guy, I have never met anyone that knows more about computers. Thanks for the hand Glenn.
This morning, I woke with no desire to bike. The clouds were heavy and getting blacker by the minute. It was not raining, but the weatherman said lots of rain was on the way. When I was training at home, I simply stayed in when it was raining. Today, I had no choice. I ate my breakfast and was clueless on how to get dressed. I had rain gear but since I sweat like a cold beer on a hot day, wearing the plastic jacket seemed like a really bad idea. Most of the bikers had a jacket and 'sleeves' on. Sleeves are literally just that, sleeves... imagine cutting the sleeves off a long sleeve spandex shirt and wearing them from your wrist to your bicep. I have them, but didn't like that idea either. Mine are good for keeping warm, but are not waterproof, so given the pending rain, there would be little reason to wear them as they would just make me colder. I passed on both the jacket and the sleeves and thankfully, despite it raining (and sleeting), I did not regret that decision.
Psychologically, I was dragging. But with no choice but to get on my bike and go, I clipped in and off I went. I rode with a pack for 5 miles or so, but then broke away at about a 16 mile an hour clip. Once again, it was climb after climb and I feared that it would be a full day of pain. It began to rain lightly which was a nice distraction from hill climbing and kept me cool. While I was not cursing, I was not enjoying myself. At about mile 12, four members of my group were drafting and seeing me struggling, encouraged me to jump in line. Everyday I finished a good amount of time in front of these guys, but today the tables had turned, and I was a bit nervous about their pace and if I would just hold them back. By now, the wind and rain were getting heavy and I needed all the help I could get, so I jumped in. It ended up being the best decision of the day. We rode together at an impressive 20+MPH clip in the pouring rain over a relatively flat section of the course for 12 miles. We rotated every 2 minutes or so and I was smiling from ear to ear. A young woman named Catherine from England was really feeling it, and was pulling more than her share. That was just the pick me up that I needed and I couldn't have been more grateful. The group began to fall apart when the hills resumed. This is because of two things... there are different skill levels and the benefit of drafting uphill is much less because everyone is going slow. Even tired, I am a fairly strong climber and began to pull away. While I wanted to stay back, my body was telling me to move forward. At about mile 27, I began to feel pretty good. The rains were heavy, but the winds had died down a bit. By mile 30, I could see no bikers ahead or behind. That sense of freedom and knowing that I had 50 miles to cover in the pouring rain, with no one to depend on but myself washed over me, and I really enjoyed the moment. I knew that there were only two riders ahead, Chris on the recumbent bike, who is uncatchable, and Darryl who I couldn't see anywhere in the distance, so it was likely that I would finish the day alone.
With the rain pouring down, I approached the Mississippi River which separates Missouri and Illinois. By 11:30am, I had crossed the bridge and entered Illinois. The river was very wide and to me, looked dangerously high. If you look at the video below, you'll see that it is only a few feet from covering the bridge.
With expected heavy rains tonight, I'm told that the bridge may be covered over and temporarily closed, something that is quite common when crossing into Quincy, IL, so I am very glad to be on the other side of it. And of course, I was elated to see the state sign for my 3rd State in four days.
A sign? You be the judge. One of the highlights of the day was when I was in the middle of nowhere, no one around me, pouring down rain, and in the middle of the grass on the side of the road, I spotted a bright colored toy. When I looked down, I could see that it was a toy that Josephine recently started playing with. A plastic computer book that teaches kids Spanish and English. I had about 40 miles to go and the thought of her playing with it and smiling made me go just a little faster to the finish line.
I knew I would finish today, because there was no other choice. But I can tell you that I didn't feel like biking. By the end of the day, I had caught up with Darryl and passed him in the final 3 miles to the hotel. I was soaking wet, but it was my best day on the tour. I treated myself to some fish tacos and a big beer! Tomorrow I ride 107 miles, the longest leg of my journey. I am as ready as I can be.
Thanks to everyone for following along.
Some Pictures from the ride: (by the way, I couldn't finish the beer... ; )
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