Monday, June 15, 2009

Day 9: Battle Mountain to Elko -- Scenery & Stories

Miles: 75 riding time: 5:12 avg speed: 14.5 ; max speed: 42; total trip miles: 647 ; weather: clouds, & sun, 70's; Alt change: 1600' climb and then back down to 5000' . Pictures are here.

Great leisurely day with lots of scenery, good company, varying terrain, tall clouds and greening mountains and present to but one flat. Started the morning ride realizing that I had run out of juice on my new camera from taking so many pics so I picked up batteries and got started a bit late. After passing a few riders I settled in with Dave, Meiri, Bob and Chuck including a lively discussion on a number of life and God issues as we pedaled comfortably along. Once we hit the day's rather lengthy gradual 12 mile climb, the group strung out.

I climbed and chatted with Chuck whose pace matched mine comfortably. The one nagging ailment I've been experiencing was becoming more noticeable the longer we slogged up the hill. My left toe gets to hurting and then throbbing as we get deeper into the day and this climb seemed to bring it on sooner and more intensely than ever. I told Chuck I would need to stop and take a break. Not long after I took my shoe off and flexed the toe, the pain began to subside, feeling began to return and soon I was ready to roll again. I had some issues after that, but at today's more leisurely pace the toe held up OK. Not sure if the change to my spd shoes with magnetic inserts may have helped here as well.

After the SAG stop we glided down a very long descent and cranked it up a bit to the lunch stop where several of us headed to the Subway for lunch. The conversation soon turned to Pedal-with-Pete as the glossy give away trucker magazine featured Dick and Rick Hoyt on its front cover. Rick, the son, looks a bit like Pete and so I pulled out the PwP brochures and ride entry forms I am carrying and passed them out to Chuck and Bob. Been wearing my PwP Jersey as often as I can wash it and getting good reactions from it. Everyone is always very interested when I get the chance to launch into Pete's story and what has been accomplished through the PwP rides and fund raising. The night we were in Winnamucca, we had a local reporter inquire about the ride and specifically about those raising funds in conjunction with their rides. So I got a chance to talk with her and pass on one of the brochures with all that info.

Bob flatted a mile before the Elko exit so we all huddled around peppering him with suggestions, advice and “maybe you should try thises”. Then the white SAG van pulled up and Alex and Judy came over to add to the flow of advice. Bob did get the tire off and went into Nevada CSI mode to find that little pesky half inch length of thin wire that had wormed its way through the tire and the tube. Chuck produced a pair of tweezers with which to extract it and soon we were on our way toward the already visible exit to Elko. News of this litte incident spread quickly and by supper my reputation as present to most flats had been cemented and there is little chance I will be riding with anyone again all trip.

Before reaching the High Desert Inn I stopped at a bike shop similar to Northland Cyclery –a sort of mom&pop shop that carried a little of everything and lots of a few things. The owner was by himself and scurrying around like a one armed paper hanger selling axle bolts to 12 year olds to fix their skate boards, stopping to hear out the gentleman who had recently bought a pink mountain bike and pink helmet from him about his latest racing ventures and answering a lot of questions from a rather corpulent mom about sizing a bike for her 4 year old. Then he ran down into the basement to scrounge up an old wheel with a Shimano hub for our wrench Sean who was trying to work up a fix for rider Jack whose brand new free wheel had failed – turned out the Shimano hub had the wrong bearing set for Jack’s wheel. In the midst of all that he managed to get my rear wheel on the truing stand, find a tool for my Mavic Ksyrium wheel spokes so he could true the wheel from the pounding it’s taken on the scraped free way sections we’ve traversed.

I eventually did make it into the High Desert Inn to very nice accommodations with doubles roomie Jim. My absented triples roomie Ed showed up for dinner at the casino banquet room after having been gone since Reno to attend his mother’s funeral. Apparently it was a question of which day of the tour she would pass, not if and so he knew he would miss some days going in. Glad to have him back on board.

Got one final burst of exercise as I sprinted back from supper to the motel through a hard and cold rain. Very unusual for these parts this time of the year. But with the rain come cooler temps and better riding conditions – if we can avoid the forecast scattered showers tomorrow during our first century and first of two in a row. If I don’t get out a report tomorrow you’ll know I was too tired or too late getting in.

4 comments:

  1. Good stories, plucked out of the usual German run-on sentences:) SO...your rep on this ride is "The Flat-ter"---better than The Reaper(oh, bad joke). I have the feeling your personality will win them over or else pity---SOMEONE will ride with you tomorrow.... Will be praying for you..but just a reminder that no matter how tired you are, I'll be waiting for my call! XOX YOO

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  2. I hope the longer rides go well today and tomorrow. Also hope the toe holds up. Will be praying for you!

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  3. praying for you and your toe!! Glad the magnetic inserts helped some....

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  4. p.s. love the map charting progress--it's nice to have a visual!

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