Day 35: Hitting the wall just a little

Day 35

Newton to Hutchinson 36miles

Was hoping for a bit of a lie in today, but I think my body is now conditioned to wake at around 6am! Had a decent breakfast at the hotel and eventually got on the road around 8.30ish. I dont know if it was because I had decided to do a short day today, but I didnt seem to have the same motivation.

I had decided that I would do a short ride to the city of Hutchinson. Although not on the official TransAm route, it seemed like a better place to get to. It had a bike shop, and also a cyclists only hostel in a church. And because most of the roads now either take me north or west, it wasnt really any different in terms of distance – instead of taking one road west, I would take a different which was a few miles further south!

The last couple of days I had been having some annoying problems with my back tire and the inner tubes. A succession of niggling little punctures kept happening, and I was constantly having to swap inner tubes in and out, only for yet another stupid little hole to appear. In my hotel last night I thought I had identified the problem – some small gritty stones which had got inside the tire and were probably rubbing against the tubes. I patched up both tubes (the one on the bike and the spare) and left them overnight to see if they stayed inflated. In the morning everything seemed fine so I put one of the tubes in and set off.

Going was pretty easy – the road I was on was a freeway with reasonable levels of traffic but also a big, wide shoulder for me to ride on well away from the cars and trucks thundering past me. However, as I approached Hutchinson I got the familiar feeling of some sluggishness in my back tire, and yet again it was going a bit flat. Also by this point, despite the flat conditions, my legs were feeling a bit heavy. So I took a big decision – tomorrow I was going to have a day off! Its actually been almost 2 weeks (way back in Illinois) since my last full rest day. In that time I have travelled right across Missouri and a good way into Kansas – over 700miles. It I carried on to Pueblo, it would be around 19days of constant riding. As well as the physical effects, it can be a bit mentally draining to constantly be thinking of nothing but where I need to get to.

Arrived in Hutchinson, and headed straight for the bike shop. Got 3 brand new inner tubes and also decided to get a new tire. The back tire obviously has to shoulder the majority of my weight (not an easy task!) and for most of the trip it also had all of my kit directly on top of it, as well as of course being the wheel thats connected to the drivetrain. All of this seems to have taken its toll on the tire, which was markedly more worn that the front. The sidewalls had also lost a lot of their support and had gone rather flimsy.

The picture below shows (left to right) my front tire, the old rear one and the new one. The difference between the two original ones is clear. The new tire is obviously a new iteration of the Schwalbe Marathon, as it has those little groves cut into it!

The other reason for going to the bike shop was that they had the key to the hostel. And what a great place to have a rest day. It has a kitchen, shower, AC and beds. There's even little TVs with integrated DVD players (and a selection of films)! And it's free! It's also close to the centre of town, and very close to the local library so I can do my blog! There is a log book in the hostel, and, I guess due to not being on the 'official' route, it's not as full as some of the other places. The last visitors were Dave and Brad, the father and son I first met all the way back in Mineral, VA (god that seems like a long time ago!). Its interesting to see that despite planning to finish in 2 months (albeit on the shorter Western Express route) they arrived just 3 days before me – they are going to have some catching up to do!

Hutchinson definitely seems like a good place to take a day off. Its a good sized city (around 40,000 people) and has a number of attractions. There's a space travel museum which I will definitely be heading to tomorrow as well as a number of water parks!

Earlier I did that most American of things and went to the Mall. Except I seemed to be one of the only people there! Maybe I was a bit early as people were probably still at work, but had a look round and got a couple of things.

The guy in the bike shop recommended a good bar to me, so think I will go there later to relax for a bit. And then spend tomorrow taking some time out to recharge the batteries. Dont think I'm no longer enjoying the trip – the complete opposite is true. It will just be nice to have a day where I can think about something else other than how fast I'm pedalling, and also to see a few different and interesting things. Then on saturday I can get back in the saddle and push on to Colorado and the Rockies!

Day 34: If at first you don't succeed...

Day 34

Eureka to Newton 76miles (plus another 8!)

Heres a group photo of me, Becky, her daughter (also called Becky!), her friend Coco and three of the cyclists who also stayed last night.

Up early this morning, packed, had a lovely egg, ham and cheese tortilla for breakfast cooked by Becky and got out on the road by 7am. There was a bit of cloud cover which I thought would be lovely for riding in...

As I got out on the main road, I could see that the cloud cover was actually just the advance party for the biggest, darkest cloud I had ever seen! As I climbed a bit of a hill out of Eureka I initially thought I could maybe skirt round the edge of the storm. But it quickly got very dark. Very, very, very dark. I took a photo, but I dont think it does any sort of justice to what it was like standing there.

I was also battling some fierce head winds. I have made a few bad decisions regarding the weather on this trip (cf. the ride I did from Pittsburg to Girard), but I am learning. With lightening flashing not too far away, I realised that continuing would be a really, really stupid thing to do. So after about 4miles I turned tail and headed back to Eureka as fast I could! The winds which had been buffeting me head on changed and were now coming in from the side with such force I could barely keep my bike in a straight line.

The good thing about Becky's genuine hospitality was that I didnt feel in anyway embarrassed, or like I would be imposing, when I got back there. With a jokey “I hear you take in cyclists...” I was welcomed back. I actually think she was glad to see me as it meant I had made the right decision and was safe. Just after getting my stuff inside the rains came pouring down.

So I relaxed at “home” and chatted to Becky, her daughter and a couple of her friends who had stayed the night.

By about 10am the clouds were looking much less threatening. A check of the weather radar suggested that the worst of the storm was over, so decided to get out and give it another go. And actually, it was perfect riding conditions. Not that hot, but not cold and no sun to sap my energy. The wind also seemed to be in my favour on the west bound sections too.

I made excellent time to Rosalia, and then turned north. As I did I saw another stormy looking cloud in the distance straight ahead of me. There was one cloud which look pretty spectacular – a kind of boomerang shaped one, although by the time I snapped it, it had kind of split up a little.

The wind was again getting up, right into my face making progress pretty slow. I got my rain jacket ready just in case, and soon enough the rain hit. It was heralded by a bolt of lightening which seemed to explode right above my head, the accompanying noise was deafening. At this point I was a little scared – the road I was on was very sparse with little cover. But as quickly as the storm started, it ended. Within 10 minutes I was taking off my jacket as the rain had eased to a refreshing sprinkle.

And thats pretty much how it stayed for much of the rest of the day. I reached the next small town, Cassoday, and got a drink and some food. I then had a 38mile section of road with no services available. So I took some extra gatorade with me and set off.

Riding down a dead straight road for such a long distance is quite odd. Its the sort of road that requires someone to invent the cycling equivalent of cruise control / auto pilot!

Physically it was great riding. I can certainly see how people I have met have managed 120+ miles a day in Kansas. If the hot weather didnt make afternoon riding pretty much impossible, I reckon I could have easily done yesterday and today's rides in a single day. It's really not too tiring on the flat roads to keep good speed up.

Kansas: Corn fields and pylons as far as the eye can see

Mentally, its more of a challenge. Kansas is scenic in a sparse kind of way. But heading down a straight road with no turns to look out for or service stops to break things up does leave you to entertain yourself to a certain extent. Today I invented the highly original “how fast can I do a mile in” game! My garmin records each mile and tells you the average speed for that mile, and the lap time at the end of each mile. So I tried to see if I could do a mile in under 3minutes – an average of 20mph. A couple of times I got close (3:02 twice), but eventually managed to do one in 2:53! As well as giving me something to think about, there was also a sensible reason for this. The sun was starting to break through the cloud, and the temperature was rising quickly. I wanted to get to Newton ASAP so I wasnt riding in the mid afternoon sun. The last hour or so was pretty hot, but made it to Newton about 4.30pm. Even with only a couple of hours of direct sun, the temperature was already up to near 90f.

So another pretty good longish day on the road. Tomorrow is a shorter day of around 50miles – after which there is a 58mile stretch with no services. I dont want to be doing that in any kind of heat so will get to the start of it tomorrow and then do that long stretch the day after. Which means tomorrow I can have a bit of lie in!

Day 33: Eureka!

Day 33

Chanute to Eureka 64miles

Anyone who thinks I have some sort of glamorous life on the open road, will hopefully have their view changed today. At one point today I was changing a flat tyre in a public toilet! However, this being America, the place was very clean and also air conditioned! And actually I wasnt in the toilet itself, rather a little entrance hall area. But it was definitely nicer than doing it in the heat of the late morning sun.

Today was definitely the easiest riding of the entire trip. 64 miles of generally very flat roads. Able to maintain excellent speed and it was good to get out before the worst of the heat hit.

Was planning to stop at Toronto but just before I arrived I had to climb an actual proper hill! Look at it. When I get home I'm going to write a polite but firm letter to Kansas to make my feelings on this matter clear.

This needs flattening out right now!

Although when I got to the top I thought I might have stumbled upon an alien compound. I cycled through pretty quick lest I get zapped by some advanced technology!

"Hello little prawn" (said in my best South African accent)

Stopped briefly in Toronto, but there wasnt really much there. Managed to get some fresh water and ice from the local deli. By this point I had covered about 45miles in quick time, and only had around 20miles left to my destination. It was soon after that I had to stop to fix my puncture. Its my third one of the tour. I suspected it might have been a case of a previous patch not quite taking. My planned stop tomorrow, Newton, has a bike shop so I might invest in a couple of new tubes.

Arrived in Eureka at around 12:30. I had read about a very kind lady who lets cyclists stay with her. Apparently she runs the local pool, so I headed that way. This also allowed me to rectify a large aberration from yesterday in that I didnt go swimming!

I stopped at a gas station just before the pool to get a drink. This lady started asking me about my trip and then introduced herself as Becky. The same name as the woman I was looking for! It was indeed her and she had me follow her to the pool! I chilled out for the afternoon (yet more free swimming!) and talked to Becky. She seemed very friendly and like others, felt genuinely happy and honoured to be able to host people from around the world. I also wondered if the people of Eureka thought about the most famous use of their town's name every time they got in the swimming pool and the water rises slightly!

After a hard afternoon of relaxing, I headed over to Becky's house. She showed me round, showed me where the food was (including loads of ice cream!) and where the shower and laundry stuff was. She said to make myself at home, and unlike when many people say that, she actually meant it! So after she headed back to the pool I had a bit of ice cream, fixed my punctures and had a shower. There are some other cyclists in town, who I met briefly at the pool, but not sure what they are doing – seem to be part of a big group.

Another day, another pool...

Like many other hosts I have had, Becky is such a kind person. Very down to earth too. And despite having 5 kids (although 4 are currently away), and the job managing the pool, she never turns away a needy biker!

Day 32: Happy 4th of July!

Day 32

Girard to Chanute 44miles

So despite the rather scary weather, I actually slept pretty well. My alarm went off at 5am, which I decided was a bit too early, so went back to bed for 30mins!!

Packed up the tent and my kit, whilst trying to avoid sinking in the mud surrounding the little shelter! Got on the road around 6.30. And what lovely flat roads they were. Kansas isnt quite as flat I actually imagined – I was thinking it would be completely devoid of any elevation changes at all. In reality there are small ups and down, but many of them are so gradual you barely notice. And often dont even really need to change gear. Today, according to my garmin, the difference between the very lowest and highest elevations in the entire day was only around 150ft. The good thing about this was that I was able to set a nice pace, with an average approaching 15mph for the day.

After about 30miles I met another eastbound rider. There seems to be a pretty steady stream of people coming the other way now. Reckon it will be that way until Colorado, by which time most people will probably have passed me. As ever we discussed places to stay, riding conditions etc. By this point I had kind of decided to do a short day today. As I get further out into the middle of nowhere, the lodging options dry up a bit (although there is always the stealth camping option). SO today was either a short 45ish miles to Chanute, or push on to Eureka which would be 110miles. I was feeling quite tired after last night, so decided to split the trip up into two days and have today as a kind of rest day.

I arrived in Chanute by 10.30, and found a motel to get into early. Wanted to do a few things on the bike (including fix the inner tube from yesterday's flat) and also to plan out my next few days of riding. Changed to the next map segment yesterday so hadnt yet had a chance to look at the new one properly.

And because today is 4^th of July I also wanted to get somewhere which might have some fireworks. As luck would have it, there is apparently a show in the park right across the road which I will go watch later.

So I effectively had a rest day in which I covered almost 45miles! In planning my stays for the next week or so, I had hoped to get to Pueblo by 40days. However, with the weather as it I dont think its going to happen, so will probably arrive a day later. Although thats still not bad, and puts me in a good position.

In my spare time today I calculated my cumulative daily mileage and how it stacks up against my required distances. 4,262miles over 88 days equates to 48.3miles a day. According to the maps, Yorktown, VA to Girard (where I started today) is 1,570.5 miles. According to my daily mileage logs, I covered 1,572miles. So pretty accurate. I have taken a few shortcuts, but then also generally have to do extra miles in towns to get to accommodation.

As of today, I am 66miles ahead of schedule. As illustrated by the 'worm' below. The red line is what I need to do, the blue line is what I have done. If I stick to my planned number of days to Peublo, Ill be over 200miles ahead. There is a chance a couple of times I could string two days riding together and do a century day. I'll see how the conditions pan out on the day. I wanted to do a 100mile day whilst out here, and having done so already I'm not in any real need to do it again!!

Right, hopefully the fireworks will start soon. Then I'm getting a good nights sleep and  

Day 31: Flat out in to Kansas

Day 31

Everton, MO to Girard, KS 79miles

Set off early from the hunting lodge, with the aim of making it to Kansas by the end of the day.

On the road by 6.30, and the morning sun was being obscured a bit by some light cloud, which was rather pleasant!

The roads were pretty flat, bar the odd small up and down, and also noticeably straighter. As I'm now hitting the large farming areas, most of the roads are organised on a grid system, with roads running north-south and east-west that intersect about every mile or so. Some of the roads are little more than gravel tracks, but the good thing is that its pretty easy to find where Im going. Even if you were to miss a turning, you can just carry along and take then next one a mile later! It also means my GPS routes will start to look a bit like they were drawn with an etch-a-sketch!

The flat roads also mean faster speeds, and I was able to keep above 14mph a lot of the time. And indeed, in 2 hours I'd covered the 28miles to Golden City where I stopped for breakfast. Stopped at Cooky's cafe. A famous spot on the TransAm, with a reputation for making great pies. However for me it was a bit early for that, so settled for sausage, eggs and hashbrowns!

Afterwards I had around a 30mile ride down a road that, to all intents and purposes, was dead straight and would take me into Kansas.

As I approached the state line, I noticed a fluorescent yellow figure up ahead of me. And then I realised, I was actually going to overtake someone on the route! As I got closer I put in the effort to catch up with the person ahead.

Soon enough I has having a nice ride/chat with Bob. Bob was a 51 year old who has rented his house out for a year and set off on his bike. Starting in Cincinnati, he's off to Oregon, then down the Pacific coast before flying back east and doing some more riding!

We soon crossed into Kansas, and it was good to have someone take a photo of me under the sign!

5th state out of 10 - slowly getting there!

After stopping for a quick drink, we set off to find the city park where there was apparently a pool and Bob was planning to camp. My plan was to get off the road for a few hours and then do a second stint in the evening when it was cooler.

We arrived at the pool just as the manager was arriving. It didnt open till 1pm (about another 40mins) but he told us to come back later and we could put our bikes inside and also swim for free!

Went for some lunch at an all-you-can-eat asian buffet. I think I got my money's worth without being greedy. I dont think the same could be said for the couple sat near us. I reckon between them they probably weighed around half a ton!

Headed back to the pool, and what a pool it was! There were slides, diving boards and even a lazy river- where you float round on a rubber ring!

This cycling lark is pretty tough

We spent the afternoon there cooling off and chatting.

At about 5 I started packing up to get ready to head off. There was a bit of cloud coming over so I thought it would be good riding conditions. There was a church on the maps which let cyclists stay, although I hadnt been able to get hold of them in the afternoon (probably busy for the holiday weekend). But failing that I would go a few miles down the road to a city park to camp.

At least that was the plan...

Soon after leaving it got dark. Very dark. I had to put my lights on and it wasnt even 6pm yet!

Uh-oh!

The wind really started gettting up, seemingly coming from the NE. As my route involved travelling either north or west, it helped a bit on the westbound stretches but was horrible as I was going north. Although my slow progress did allow me the view of quite a lot of lightenng bolts up ahead!

Made it around 15miles to Girard, where I picked up a puncture. Stopped under an awning in the town square to assess the damage when the heavens opened. Proper biblical style rain. I was pretty scared, as the rain was coming down, the wind was blowing and thunder and lightening were going off all the time. When it died down a little, I made it to the local fire station. They showed me the weather forecast which wasnt good. So decided to camp in the city park in Girard. When the rain eased up a little I made my way there and decided to pitch my tent under a wooden shelter to try and shield me from the worse of the rain. Was quite a scary night. When I was in my tent it wasnt easy to distinguish between flashes in the sky caused by fireworks and those by lightening!

My home for the night!

So a tough end to what had been a great day. Definitely a lot, lot, flatter so hopefully get some good miles in. The heat will still be an issue though.

Day 30: Beating the heat

Day 30

Marshfield to Everton 55miles

So today some piddling little bike ride somewhere in Europe got under way. 2,132miles, thats nothing! I reckon it would be actually be more interesting if Contador, Wiggins and the rest had to carry all their equipment on their bikes. There'd be some epic crashes with all those panniers banging into each other!

Had breakfast in the hotel and set off just after 7.30. Initially riding was very nice. No real hills, and the sun was yet to get too high (although still pretty hot).

Going was pretty good. At one point I was pushing up a hill and heard a car behind me. I was imaging them getting all irate at my temerity to slow them down briefly as I struggled up a slope. But actually it turned out to be the MS riders from the hotel. They stopped and gave me some fresh cold water and a gatorade!

A bit later into the ride, the terrain got a bit more hilly. There were lots of river valleys which had to be negotiated. None were that high, but they were pretty constant.

At the top of one such rolling hill, there was a mother and daughter riding the other way. They told me about a place they had stayed last night in Everton; a hunting lodge type place which let cyclists stay. At the time I was hoping to get beyond Everton, hopefully to Golden City.

I arrived at Ash Grove early afternoon and found a little cafe to have some cheesecake in. The staff were really friendly, and told me about the pool in town. It sounded like a great way to cool off, so I took some time out to go for a dip. The pool was very nice, and as a cyclist I got in for free! On a macro level, America isnt a cyclist friendly place – the long distances, the huge cars and road with no shoulder areas. But on a micro level, there is lots of perks to it!

Catching some rays...

After the pool I went and had some dinner in the mexican restaurant in town. Again, people were really friendly, and the owner even bought out her laptop so I could use it! Checked the weather in Golden City, and decided that the hunting lodge seemed like a good idea.

After dinner I went back to the little cafe, had a milkshake and a really nice chat to the owner. Her and her husband and their 2 adopted children had recently moved here from Texas and opened the store. As well as a cafe, it was also a shop selling little knick-knack type things. I suggested they should get a cyclists guest book, she thought that was a great idea so got a pad of paper and I became the first cyclist to put my entry in!

After staying for a while longer I decided it was time to head off. The ride to Everton was only short, so didnt take long. Apparently there isnt much in Everton (the cafe owners had lived there until recently), and the only place of note was a biker bar called the Shaved Beaver! Also passed 1,500miles on the way!

Found the hunting lodge (was down a very bumpy, unmade road) but definitely a good place to stay. Nice comfy beds, living room, AC and wifi.

Going to head out super early tomorrow and try to do something like today again. Make progress before the day gets too hot, and then find somewhere to get out the sun in the afternoon before heading off again around 5ish. Its the July 4^th weekend at the moment, so hopefully see some good fireworks over the next few days.

Day 29: Mercury rising

Day 29

Houston to Marshfield 67miles

Another early start, and another hot day looked in store. I was hoping that today wouldnt be quite so tough as yesterday. The route (on the map at least) did look a bit flatter today, without the steep climbs.

And actually it was much more pleasant riding today. The sun was blazing down, but with less slow climbs there was a usually a bit of a breeze to cool me down a little (although my t-shirt was still drenched in sweat within 45mins!) Was also some nice views from the high prairie that I was cycling over.

Early on saw a sign which almost seems to be teasing me

Sadly I was heading for Hartville

Sadly, success for me is still around 2,800miles away!

Met a few more Eastbounders today. The first one was a guy from California, and then later I met a couple more guys, including a Brit! As ever, we all exchanged route tips and places to stay. One very useful thing they told me was that a detour a bit further on the route that I could ignore and just walk my bike over the bridges that were being repaired.

Stopped for lunch in Hartville just before 40miles. Whilst in Subway, managed to get some wifi and checked my emails. Also managed to catch up on Wimbledon. Great Britain's Andy Murray did very well in the winning the first set. Sadly by the time I had finished lunch, Scotland's Andy Murray was well on his way to inevitable capitulation!

Today's riding was definitely much nicer than yesterday, but that sun was unrelenting. Originally my plan for the next 2 days was to do around 85miles today, which would give me a shot of getting to Kansas tomorrow by doing a 100mile day. However, I decided in this heat that simply wasnt a sensible, or safe, thing to do. There's no point getting to Kansas a day early if I end up needing to be connected to a drip due to dehydration! So decided to split the miles up into 3 days of around 60miles each.

Soon got the road signs telling me that the road ahead was closed, but I just ignored them!

But not to cyclists!

Had to walk my bike over the two bridges which were being repaired. Or at least, walk over the temporary bridge constructed by the engineers. Which basically appeared to be a whole load of stones poured into the rivers!

Got to Marshfield, and went into the first gas station I could find. Asked about motels, and one women offered to drive ahead of me to show me where they were. Very kind. Although she did kind of spoil it by asking me if I was from Ireland. So I can add that to the Australian, Canadian and South African accents I've been mistaken for! Also saw possibly the funniest sign yet!

This road apparently has a couple of big hills, but some great views!

I really dont want to keep getting motels – its obviously more expensive than camping. But after long days in the sun its good to be able to get cooled down. In Marshfield tonight, its still supposed to be 28c at around 8pm tonight – if your in a tent with little shade its difficult to cool off. I did get a pool to cool off in today which was nice.

Whilst I was planning to do a longer day today, its good that I am now 'disappointed' to be only doing 65miles! And actually, if I can do 65miles a day I would finish around 2 weeks prior to my planned finish date – so would have plenty of time for rest days or sightseeing days.

Later on in the evening I saw a truck and a load of bikes in the carpark. Went to say hello and it was a group doing a cross country ride for http://www.biketheusforms.org/ . This is a big organisation which has lots of riders crossing the country to raise money for MS. This group was 4 young guys and one of their mums who was driving the support van. Whilst I like the self sufficiency of my ride, it must be nice to not have to carry anything! They were very friendly and gave me a bottle of gatorade and a whole load of powerbar energy bars! They had a whole huge box full of them, as apparently they are one of the sponsors!