TDK Day 6: Brookings to Sioux Falls

We had heard rumors that there was going to be a west wind, a little south also. With this news, Mary Jean wasn't sure if she was going to ride or not. The plan was that she would call me when she had decided. When I got up I was super cranky. Not, "I'm a b*t*h cranky..." Just, "Wow, this week *has* been a physical and emotional challenge, I didn't sleep well last night, I'm tired and I miss my husband, I'm ready to go home..." kinda cranky. And, it looked windy out.

Mary Jean called and said she would try to ride. She'd been waffling all morning. She asked her husband what he would do if he were her. He said he'd get dressed, go down the park and check things out, set out and see how it goes. But if it were him, he wouldn't ride, probably. He does ride with her, but that day the weather was not ideal. Again. Hopefully Mary Jean doesn't mind me telling that story. Though I think that a lot of people had that mentality.

Thus, the morale of the week is: Just get on the darn bike. Period. Once you're on the bike, it gets better.

We got going at about 6:45. We had cross winds, they were probably above 20 mph already. We had to go west for a few stretches, that was hard. Going down a hill, if I stopped pedaling I'd top out at 8 mph. But, we got to the first stop at 23 miles. Who makes the first food stop that far into a casual tour? Oh well. The line was long, so I ate the granola bar in my pocket and wanted to keep going. My friend had already eaten and we were both afraid that if we stopped we'd freeze up. AGain, I'm glad that I ate a good breakfast.

Considering how badly I didn't want to ride that morning, I warmed up to the idea and the stubborness in me came out. Our next goal was just to make it to the half way point. I thought the day was 70 miles, but I guess that it was posted as 68. We got to mile 35. We kept plugging away. More people had been caving, we saw more cars with bikes on the back. We eventually made it to Sioux Falls. I had given my mom the correct time for return, based on a 70 mile assumption. But we were still on the west side of town at mile 70, and had to get into the middle of town. They routed us in on the bike trail. 8 miles later, we were at the finish. It's not nice to lie about miles at the end like that. Another 10 miles really isn't THAT big of a deal. But, when you're prepped for one distance and have people waiting for you, it's a mean trick. We were getting tired. My arms were getting fatigued from holding the bike on the road/path. My lips were even hurting, I think that I burned them a bit and they were chapped.

My mom had taken an extended lunch break. She'd already been waiting for me for a decent amount of time. So we got in, took some pictures and I had to leave right away so that my mom could get back to work. So, I felt like the end was a little anit-climactic (I think that I butchered that spelling, my mind is drawing a blank. Sorry!). 77.75 miles, 6:59:30, 11.1 average, winds W 21 gusting to 30.

I was so tired of putting food into my face. I was hungry, but nothing sounded good when I got to Sioux Falls. Mom hadn't had lunch yet and wondered if I wanted to grab something with her. I was eating the cookie in my bag because it was there and I thought that I should put SOMETHING in my mouth. Otherwise I had no idea what I'd even want. I just didn't feel like eating. I did go and get some coffee. And some woodchuck cider for when I got home. Nick had some wine waiting.

I was tired. All of my muscles ached, except my abs. So, I considered going home and doing some situps to balance things out. :d I didn't. I felt much better the next day and the day after. I did feel a small burn in my quads for awhile, mostly when going up stairs. But I think that I recovered pretty well. I woke up Saturday morning at a 5:45 a.m. My brain finally got used to the get up and ride mentality.

I went back to Sioux Falls to get my bike. When I tried to put the bike rack on the night before, it was windy and starting to rain. I did get to have lunch with mom to make up for the day before.

I had a good time and was very glad that I finished the whole day on Friday. A lot of people didn't. And I can totally see why. A lady rider at a pit stop said we were crazy. Mary Jean and I wanted to finish for ourselves. Though we also felt bad that Bonnie couldn't finish due to the crash and other friends had planned to ride but weren't able to due to scheduling issues.

I had wondered what the tour would be like. I missed the mass of Lanehogs that were generally there too. There were a few of us this year, just not the same. But everyone on the tour is so nice. It was easy to chat with people on the road, at pit stops or standing in line for the Maui showers. And everyone seems to have a good memory. Two ladies that had set up camp near my tent in Vermillion last year recognzied me in Ft. Thompson. I chatted with them at several stops. I also ran into a lady that I first exchanged messages with on teamestrogen.com. I met her last year on the century day in Vermillion.

There's definately a sense of camaraderie. The tour is such a nice size and range of ability. Even with the sketchy weather, I plan to do it again.

More pictures to arrive, hopefully tomorrow.