Welcome to Arizona

We crossed our first state line today shortly after leaving Blythe. Welcome to Arizona! The night before we left L.A. we were all given a little canister of sand from the Pacific Ocean. At each state line we sprinkle a little of the Pacific sand. It's supposed to bring us good luck. By the end of the day that theory would be put sorely to the test.

I woke up this morning with something more than trepidation, but less than fear, about today's ride. The schedule called for 115 miles of riding, from Blythe to Wickenburg, AZ. After yesterday's hot 100 miler I woke up with dead legs and knots. I walked out the door at 6:30 a.m. and it was already hot.

We had the option of taking a "jump" up to the first or second SAG stop of the day. I seriously considered skipping some of today's ride, but eventually decided to at least give it a shot.

We had another 36 miles on I-10 to start the day, along with two climbs. We were hot from the start and it only got worse as time wore on. I was looking forward to getting off the interstate, but after about 400 yards on State Route 60 I was longing for the freeway. The asphalt was chewed up. We rode over cracks every roughly 20 feet. Each crack jarred the bike and my hands.

The second SAG stop at mile 40 gave us another opportunity to take a jump, but we pressed on. By 10:00 a.m. the temperatures were pushing 100 degrees. It would eventually get up to 103. Combine that with the bad road and the crosswinds, and I was seriously questioning my choice of hobby.

We pulled into a gas station at mile 56, mostly as an excuse to get off the bike. I saw 3 other riders sitting at a picnic table. One of them was on his second beer. He'd had enough for one day and was waiting for the van to come pick him up. A compelling option I must say.

We weren't that bright, so we carried on again. Around this time I thought about yesterday's post. "Beauty and Majesty my Ass! It's HOT out here. The desert sux!" Mostly thoughts like that.

After the lunch stop of a PB&J and crackers we hit the road again and had a desolate section of 20+ miles on a road without a single tree or curve. It was just straight, hot, and long. Every few minutes I'd look around and realize I essentially hadn't made any progress. We kept up our 3 person paceline, didn't talk much, and just ground it out.

After what seemed an eternity we finally made it to the last SAG stop. We had 27 miles left to ride, and it seemed like in spite of the conditions we would actually make it. About that time two riders came rolling in from the other direction. The road ahead had been freshly tarred that morning, and their tires were covered with the nasty, sticky stuff.

About 20 of us were at the SAG trying to figure out what to do. It turned out that over 10 miles of road was covered and essentially impassible by bike without risking serious damage. Tracy, our fearless leader, improvised a plan. People who wanted to ride would be given a jump over the wet tar and could ride in the rest of the way.

I was a little bummed that I couldn't complete the entire ride as planned, but that's part of the deal in an expedition like this. So we packed up our bikes onto the bike racks and away we went. There was a little grumbling, but really there was no other option. This is the only road available.

The remaining miles turned out to be the one bright spot of the ride. We cruised downhill for most of the last 12 miles of the ride. and enjoyed the end of the day.

Back-to-back Century Rides in desert heat isn't something I would reccomend as a way to get a little exercise. We head into the mountains tomorrow. I'm looking forward to getting away from this heat for at least awhile.