I woke at 5:30 AM, and it was raining. I knew today would be a miracle if we did not encounter rain! We conceded that fact last night. I let Jordan sleep until 7:00 AM, and we packed up to head out after breakfast. Packing was so easy after Shelley took the trailer and other gear. It gave us confidence that we may make it very close to home today.
We left at 7:45 AM and rode very hard, as Highway 15 was very dangerous with high traffic. People were very disrespectful, so I am trying to be excellent. We could handle this for only 4 miles (really should have been less, but nowhere to turn) before we found 170th Street and turned right. Here we go again, improvising in the spirit of safety. We decided to go to Highway 169, which would be better.
We were pleased with Highway 169, for about 3 miles. Then, it became rough, and riding on the shoulder was difficult. There was no alternative for 10 miles at Highway 30. We had ridden 14 miles of pure danger in the first 27 miles! Jordan was unhappy with me, and I tried to explain that I had done my best. At this point, we just wanted to get home and finish the journey!
We were looking forward to Highway 22 being an improvement in Mankato. It was not! The road was near the worst we had encountered, and Jordan continued to yell at me for taking such a wrong route. I had two flat tires. We experienced hard rain, road construction, and drivers that rival Mad Max (for those old enough to understand what that means). This was not enjoyed by either of us, and we stopped several times just to get our nerves back in order. We reached Mankato at 12:45 PM, which was nice, although we were soaked from the hard rain. I was concerned about the cars being unable to see us when it was raining so hard. Even though we averaged over 16 mph, we had well over 2 hours of stopping, mainly to calm our nerves as it was SO BAD!!!!
We found a Subway (figures) and discussed how we had 74 miles left. We knew we could get home today if we cut the break short! That would make a 130-plus-mile day. We figure it is possible by 9:00 PM if we are issue-free. By 1:30 PM, we were off. We are both ready for a finish!
We looked forward to riding the next 35 miles on a nice bike trail. However, when we reached the trail, we realized it was old and very bumpy. Jordan once again criticized my planning. One good thing is that we had heavy rains that would have stopped us from being on the road. The rain was so bad at one point that we even sought shelter.
After 18 miles on the trail, we were both excited, as it was NEW! It was very smooth and at least 12 feet wide. We deserved a break, and here it was, especially after our hands were destroyed from the past 18 miles of old and very rough trail. We averaged about 11 mph on the rough trail.
We made Faribault, Minnesota, at 4:39 PM. We traveled 95.58 miles for the day at 6:31:17. This did not include the time to eat and fix the flat tires. We totaled 8.25 hours since we left the hotel. About 36 miles to go... While we were both spent, we had a slight increase in excitement. This positive thinking was increased as I was assured the road conditions were good, with a nice shoulder for most of the remaining ride. The rain had subsided, but we knew another wave was coming.
It was only 12 miles to Northfield, Minnesota. The wind and rain held out for the first 10 miles, and then an intense wave of wind and rain appeared. I was tired and ready to call for a ride for the last 25 miles. Jordan decided I needed a lift, so he got on a toy bike and said let's go! It lifted my spirits, and we took off for 25 miles. Jordan exclaimed, "It's less than a marathon, and we have bikes!"
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| Jordan has a new bike |
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| Let's go, Dad! |
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| Four miles to go, and the LAST HILL |
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| Less than 2 miles to go! |
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| We made it! |
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| When we are done, it's a great reason to smile! |
At 8:30 PM, we made it home, and we were exhausted!!!!! We rode 130.3 miles in 9 hours and 11 minutes and spent 12 hours and 9 minutes today (including fixing flats, massive rain delays, and eating).
SUMMARY OF DAY 11: 130.3 miles and 14.2 MPH (riding time only) and a total on-bike time of 9 hours and 11 minutes. It was just over 12 hours for the day, with a temperature range of 59 F at the start to almost 75 F at the peak. Total ascent (according to the Garmin Connect) was 2,188 feet with a decent of 2,370 feet. SO IT WAS A HILLY RIDE! We had a 504-foot elevation decrease for the day, decreasing from 1,460 feet to 956 feet overall.
Our 10-mile splits from MapMyRide (time includes breaks, and mph is based only on riding time) were:
0-10 in 0:37:57 - 17.2 mph
10-20 in 0:36:22 - 16.5 mph
20-30 in 0:45:55 - 15.4 mph
30-40 in 1:05:29 - 15.4 mph
40-50 in 0:56:25 - 13.7 mph
50-60 in 1:44:15 - 11.9 mph
60-70 in 0:48:07 - 14.3 mph
70-80 in 1:05:28 - 13.6 mph
80-90 in 0:38:13 - 16.5 mph
90-100 in 1:06:01 - 13.8 mph
100-110 in 1:02:20 - 11.8 mph
110-120 in 0:48:36 - 13.7 mph
120-130 in 0:51:49 - 13 mph
The trip totaled 908.9 riding miles in 71 hours, 12 minutes and 46 seconds. The average pace was 12.76 mph!
A video Shelley took of us arriving. It was a day to remember!
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