Day 6 finished

  Today, we slept in!  One issue was that Jordan again had difficulty sleeping with my snoring.  I woke at 5:45 AM and left to sit in the breakfast room.  I returned at 7:30 AM and just quietly packed while he slept.  I woke him at 8:30 AM as the breakfast closed at 9:00 AM.   I could tell he did not sleep well as he looked exhausted.  I know I was exhausted.

It was a later start at 10:41 AM, which delayed another flat tire—this time, my front tire. It was hard to change a tube as my hand strength was limited, and it was hard to pump the tires.

We left Grand Island, Nebraska, and the headwind was 10-12 mph, but it felt OK because the past two days were well over 20 mph. With all the drafting, I spent so much time behind Jordan, which made it hard for him. If he slowed to drink or shift the weight on the bike and I was not paying attention, I almost ran into him. I did my best to avoid additional tension. I hope for a tailwind soon so we can ride side by side. 

One of our best choices was to get a hotel room last night, even though we had planned to camp in the state campground. Our bodies have been trashed over the past three days, and we need another round of ice baths. A storm woke us a few times, and we were inside. The winds must have been over 40 mph, and rain pelted the windows. 

So, day 6 was supposed to be an easy day of 64 miles.  The wind was still a headwind, but about half of that experienced the last three days. I still drafted behind Jordan as I felt the wind, and he kept saying, "What wind." 

One highlight of the trip was a stop at a small local station for a break and beverages.  The funny thing was that it was obviously the local farmer's morning hangout, as they had cups hanging on the wall. As we sat there, the worker turned the individual cups into the right place for the next day.  Oh, the simple life...

Local store = simple life was evident!

The midday heat was brutal as I never acclimated to the heat over 70 degrees.  The sun was intense all day.  I bet I have a Vitamin D overload?  We did have one minor issue on the 67.1 miles in 6 hours 32 minutes with 4 hours and 48 minutes on the bike, which is the highest pace so far at an average of 14 mph.  Late into the ride, I felt a little dizzy from the heat. I told Jordan I was coming on the left but was really on the right.  My stupidity almost caused a two-bike crash at 17 mph.  Fatigue decreases our communication skills.

We needed another solid night to recover, and the energy needed to set up a campsite required to be saved, so we stopped as planned.  We stayed at a Sleep Inn just outside Columbus, Nebraska, where we washed all our clothes; they needed it!  We ate at Applebee's and were in bed before 10 PM.  We plan a 71-mile ride tomorrow and 60 miles the following day, which should put us in Iowa. The following two days have a favorable forecast with moderate winds but some nasty hills. 

SUMMARY OF DAY 6:  A total of 67.1 miles and 14 MPH (riding time only) and a total on-bike time of 4 hours and 48 minutes.  It was a 6-hour 32-minute day with a temperature range of 66 F to almost 86 F.  Total ascent (according to Garmin Connect) was 60 feet with a decent of 432 feet.  We had a 351-foot net decrease in elevation, going from 1,846 feet to 1,495 feet overall.

Our 10 miles splits from MapMyRide (time includes breaks, and mph is only riding time) were:

  0-10 in 0:41:57 - 14.6 mph
10-20 in 0:39:18 - 15.2 mph
20-30 in 1:08:11 - 12.8 mph
30-40 in 1:17:25 - 14.0 mph
40-50 in 0:50:01 - 14.1 mph
50-60 in 1:23:12 - 13.3 mph
Last 7.1 in 0:31:22 - 13.8 mph