Day 13

We're staying in Rocky Mountain university for tomorrow's rest day.  It is a private university of only 800 students!

By Erwin:

I woke up feeling pretty weak and not really feeling the vibe. This was probably the result of riding to hard the day before, a couple of night with near freezing temperatures and the effect of doing three 100-milers in five days. Anyway, today was a little like work.

Still, the first 46 miles were easy - we cruised over newly laid asphalt, slightly downhill and with a tailwind. Pretty nice. I chatted some with the other riders and we stopped in Rhygate, a pretty ugly little town that host the annual Testicle Festival, which celebrates eating certain parts of bulls.

At lunch, I changed a flat tire and we turned into the wind. Lucija had left very early and she rode in front of me. After going through a number of valleys and over some ridges, we reached the longest and straightest road I have ever seen. For over 15 miles we went straight. Somewhere on this stretch I reached Lucija, who was having a bit of dip in energy. Still, we rode on, pretty slowly and as always, we reached our destination.

It's funny how everyday is essentially the same: get up at 5:30, take down tent, get breakfast, get on bike, go through 3 or 4 checkpoints, have tough last 20 miles, reach camp, set up tent, get stuff ready for following day, shower, eat, make lunch, have meeting to discuss next day, write in diary, go to sleep at 9pm. Still, everyday is different and every day is different for each person.

Lucija had a bad day today and mine was pretty average as well. I came off the bike basically pissed off at the weather, my two flats, the poor final directions into camp. Lucija worried about her health today. Also she came off her bike fuming after the day with all the RVs. Other riders had a terrible day yesterday, when we had a euphoric day.

The difference is somewhat mysterious. I think it is a matter of the sequence of events and specific personal weaknesses. Something annoying in the morning, such as too much cold can throw off a whole day but if things generally get better, the day can still end in good spirits. Also, I have a weakness for cold, while Lucija handles heat poorly - we do our best to keep each other going.

Anyway, we've arrived in Billings, a dry, dusty town just below a cool-looking sandstone ridge. I am looking forward to a day off and an easy (55 mile) day afterward.

Photos: indicative of our spirits today: this is only good picture we took.

One of the dry, dusty valleys we rode through. The ridge in the background is only about 8 miles away.