Day 9 pics

The gang getting a little downhill in


Our “Gang of 9”…with Kasper and Judd on the front. Having 9 made managing today’s headwinds even easier.


Hard to believe…1000 miles in 8 1/3 days!


We take shade wherever we can get it. Pump 1 & 2 is Paul…Pump 3 & 4 is Kasper…Pump 5 & 6 is Greg and Pump 7 & 8 is Bill.


The longest, straightest road I have ever seen!

Day 8 Albuquerque to Las Vegas, Nm 135 miles 17.5mph

OK…Today was officially billed as “make it…or break it day”! Meaning that if you made it thru the last 3 days of ultra-high mileage, difficult climbing and winds…you would, most likely, make it to the end!!! Well…I am happy to report…I made it! Yesterday was supposed to be the hardest day…but today was much harder. The winds, the early morning climb out of Albuquerque, the fatigue from yesterday, another 40+ miles on the interstate…and my nagging altitude headache (today topped out at over 8000 feet), were all conspiring against me! It was a tough mental day for everyone. You can see by the profile we did some serious climbing again today. The first big climbs were on backroads…the last were on the interstate. The problem with the interstate climbs is they are usually several miles long. They seem to go on forever…with your legs screaming in pain. I love the sound of an 18 wheeler approaching because I know there will be this huge rush of air that acts as a tailwind to help push you up the hill.

I rode solo for a good bit today. Everyone was pretty fatigued from Sunday’s ride and it was hard to get a consensus on how everyone wanted to approach today. Rob and Judd were ready for a recovery day, so was I! We rolled out together but soon separated on the climb out of town. I enjoyed the solo stretch between the hills and the interstate. Just me and the bike! At lunch, Judd decided to wait for our ride leader, Mike. That was the end of the planned “recovery ride”. Those two were hammering! I tried to hang on…they finally slowed in sympathy! Mike has been leading these tours for 15 years. He’s a great cyclist and has a ton of funny stories about life on the road. He, Judd and I rode into Las Vegas together and had dinner at the Rialto. That will be the plan from here on out. By the time you get to the hotel and take a shower, you just don’t feel like going out to eat…and eating is what you need most after these miles. You can see by the pics…I love to eat! Tomorrow, we are off to Tucumcari…more climbing…yipppeee!!! dd


: Me…about to take my first 12 mile withdrawal from the First Gravitational Bank of New Mexico. 48 mph on the way down…it took about 20 minutes. My legs were cramping from not peddling!


Today's ride profile. Climbing, followed by more climbing, followed by another 40+ miles battling headwinds on the interstate!


The other Dave climbing out of Albuquerque. He summers in Canada and winters in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Hope to see him on some of our “Roadies” rides next fall!


I rode alone for a good bit of the morning (after the big climb out of Albuquerque). After yesterday, we all needed a little quite time. It was such a beautiful morning with very little traffic...I enjoyed the time alone.

Day 8 pics

Las Vegas buildings


Judd with his taco’s from The Rialto. Notice those tan lines on his forehead. Our helmets are vented…that’s why I wear a hat under mine. My hat also has a visor to keep the sun off my face…I still wear zinc oxide.


Mike (our ride leader and author of the “bamacyclist.com” site) trying to steal some of my dinner. I don’t think so!


Our table full of fabulous food from the Rialto in Las Vegas. Note to Nora: that’s hominy in the upper left corner of my plate. Not as good as yours but darn tasty after 132 miles on the bike!


The Rialto exterior…my trusty bike waiting for me!

Day 7 Gallup,Nm to Albuquerque,Nm 145 miles @ 18.6 mph

It's hard to believe I have been at this for 7 days!!! I have never ridden more than 5 days in a row and certainly never put in anything near this king of mileage in a week! Let alone the mountain sections we've come across!

I sure do miss Katie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We knew today, being the second longest mileage day of the trip, was going to be a challenge. Yesterday taught us (the hard way) that the 3 of us were working way too hard. We needed a recruitment campaign! At breakfast, we discussed adding at least 2 more riders to our group to lighten the load of pulling across another long stretch of wind-blown prairie. We got lucky and got 3...Steve (a huge engine), Ken and Geoff! We were set! All safe riders and very capable of keeping the pace up. For you non-cyclists: the "draft" is key. The guy at the front of a paceline is doing most of the work (pushing the wind). If you stay close to his wheel you can "draft" ala NASCAR and reduce about 20-30% of the effort. If you only have 3 riders rotating off the front of a paceline every mile...each guy is pulling once every 3 miles. If you have 6...each guy is working at the front once every 6 miles and sitting in the group getting a rest the remainder of the time. More guys=less work=the ability to maintain higher speeds over a longer distance. This sounds like one of those algebra questions I always hated! Anyway, we were a fine-tuned machine today. We were so far ahead...the staff wasn't able to get to the last SAG before us, so we rolled on into Albuquerque! Some beautiful scenery again today. Cowboy and Indian country. I have trouble getting the theme somg from "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" out of my head...heyyahhh! Took some pics at the Continental Divide...and rolled thru a really cool lava field. Most of the day on the Laguna Indian Reservation. The poverty in this area is really sad to see. The people have all been extremely friendly. I talked to group of ladies at a store stop today...they couldn't believe we'd come from Los Angeles. They really flipped when I told them we were on our way to Boston.

Getting this post done early today so I can get an extra hour of sleep tonight. Another long one up to Las Vegas, Nm....no, not that Las Vegas...I wish!



Our early morning roll thru Gallup…to Denny’s Grand Slam #4. I swear, after this trip…to never eat at Denny’s again!!! We rode 8 miles to get there this morning. I was starving!


A table full of Grand Slam’s


Our “Gang of 6” heading toward Albuquerque


Me at the Continental Divide Trading Post


Me again at the actual Continental Divide

Day 7 pics

Judd, Rob and me at the Continental Divide


Judd rolling across the prairie


Woo Hooo!


Me gettin’ some doggy lovin’


Not a car (or anything else for that matter) for miles!!!

Day 7 pics

Our version of a prairie freight train. As a group of 6 we were able to move considerably faster than when it was just the 3 of us. Big thanks to Steve, Ken and Geoff for the help today!


More prairie bleakness


Our lunch SAG


Our snack SAG


Mike putting bikes on the roof of the van. The State of New Mexico forced us to portage the bikes around construction
on I-40

Day 6 Winslow,Az to Gallup,Nm 127.2 miles @ 18.5mph

One of the America by Bicycle Staff bikes…a “ROARK” titanium. It’s a beauty…even to a carbon fiber guy like me.


This is what we looked at for about 95 miles along I-40 today


Brian at the “lunch SAG”. You don’t go hungry!


Finally, as we approached Gallup,Nm the scenery changed.


I only took about 8 photos yesterday…that’s how empty the scenery was. Don’t get me wrong it was really beautiful…it just never changed til we got to the end. Note the only thing different in this shot is the red pebble road…I shot it! BTW, it was silky smooth, a huge relief from the interstate.


Today was really tough! I was actually longing for yesterday's mountains because we spent the entire day on I-40 (except the last 12 miles into Gallup). Riding on the Interstate is incredibly hard. Your senses are working overtime with 18 wheelers inches from you...and your body never gets a break from the constant grind without much change in elevation. Everyone is pretty wiped out. Tomorrow is our longest day yet at 143 miles (about 1/2 of that on I-40 again!)...so it's early to bed tonight. My legs feel great, it's the relationship between my body and my bike seat that needs some counseling!!

For some reason photos are not uploading from the Taj Mahal in which I staying....I'll try again in the morning.
dd