Missouri, Pronounced ‘Miz-er-ree’, Day 2, 86 Miles
An experienced guide in our group cracked a joke at the end of the ride today. He said, ‘How do bikers pronounce Missouri?’. The punch line was ‘misery’. Of course I understood immediately what he meant after a day of pounding through 53 climbs over 86 miles. To put it lightly, Missouri has many hills.
After yesterday’s ride, I woke up a bit stiff, but ready to go. I started slow knowing that we would be climbing hills all day. I had been well briefed, but the words ‘climbing hills’ is subjective depending on the biker you talk to. For that reason, I didn’t know what to expect exactly, but after trudging up a one-mile hill and looking over the crest, I was quickly made aware of the situation in a way that no words could do justice. It was almost a cruel joke…. As far as the eye could see were hilltops. The road was like an wavy ribbon run across the landscape. I didn’t think that it could possibly continue without some significant flat area but I was dead wrong. Your horizon view always ends at the highest peak. And every time that I climbed that last peak, I hoped that the next view of the landscape would be more kind. I was rarely rewarded. There may have been three points in the entire day that I had simple flat, but none were longer than two miles. I know that the thought is that every peak means a ride down the backside. That is true. However, because you’re working hard biking downhill too (to get some momentum for the climb), you just don’t get the relief you hope for. It’s a challenging process. A little bit of footage of me climbing below.
(2 Climbing links)
The highlight of the day by far was our time spent in a very small called Mayville, MO. Apparently, Crossroads, the company that is running the tour has been coming through for so many years, that they wanted to throw us a welcome party. We were all told to wear our Crossroads jersey in the morning and to regroup at a destination about one half mile from the center of town. We then road slowly two by two to a designated location on main street. We were greeted by cheers and showered with homemade jelly and peanut butter sandwiches, lemonade, homemade pastries and cinnamon rolls. They treated us like we were celebrities. After we dismounted, they gave us a tour of their private museum. It was the size of a townhouse, but you could tell how proud they were to show us around. Every item on display had a connection to a local family… ‘This is a Shawnee Indian grinding stone found on the Miller farm’, ‘These are 17th century dresses donated by the Smiths..’. ‘This is a real spinning wheel that the Mayvilles lent to us’.
The entire experience was a once in a lifetime event for me. It was a chance to see a piece of America that is almost insulated from the outside crazy world that most of us live in. These people welcomed our group, a group of total strangers, with open arms and applause. They made and served homemade food, and even blocked off the street for us. After walking in the museum and coming back out to the main street, I had a sense of history about the place. You could tell that the one – intersection town had not changed all that much in 100 plus years. I could picture people tying up horses and crossing the now paved roads to carry out their errands and then head back to their homes. It reminded me of the make believe towns that you would see on the Little House On the Prairie or Bonanza TV shows back in the 70s. As we rode out of town, I thought about how busy my life had been for the last 10 years or so and how I had forgotten largely how to relax and breathe. I am trying to improve in this area, but seeing this quiet and simple place and the people that thrive there was a gift and a reminder that I am still a work in progress.
See footage from the reception below:
Other highlights of the day …
- I was not allowed to go out with the medium group today, they were afraid I would get too far ahead of everyone. So I left one half hour later with a faster group of 5.
- I ate a giant bug when it flew directly down my throat. Aren’t bugs a good protein source?
- A half of banana eaten at a particular low point in my ride today gave me wings and I rode like I had jet fuel in the tanks.
- I finished 3rd or 4th in the pack for the day, even after taking a wrong turn that took me a mile in the wrong direction.
- A plaque that had been left like a monument in an abandoned town spoke volumes to me at mile 70 (see below). It was surreal and made me stop and stare. It clearly told me that I doing what I was supposed to be doing at that moment.
Couldn't have been better placed.
- Successful drafting at 25+ MPH. http://youtu.be/V--YcuR54TY. I am teachable!
I reached Chillicothe, MO in about 6.5 hours, very tired and worn down. Tomorrow we will head for Kirksville, about 75 miles away. Although it is a shorter ride, it has 146 hills to climb and I know it will be a big test for me. Thank you for all of your support.
Other pictures:
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