The miles rolled by again today as we continue our trek across the southern states. Our seven person pace line completed the 195 miles in just under 12 hours, including lunch, several rest stops and a couple of flats. We passed through many small towns and went up and down for 7,500' of climbing, mostly in little hills, but there were a number of tough grinders. The weather was excellent - mid 80s, hazy most of the day and only a small breeze. I am embarrassed to publish our weather as Nancy is reporting from Minnesota that it has been rainy and cold for a week. The Twin Cities Bicycling Club (TCBC) had their Memorial Day Weekend club ride today but a number of riders cut their routes shorter because of cold weather and wind.
We got in just before 6p. The last riders finished up around 8:30p. The later finishers usually are riding on their own, a lot tougher way to do this tour. Alan, the rider from Arizona that was clipped by a car a few days ago finished up at dark, as did Joe from North Carolina.
Jacki, our woman rider with edema is hoping to get back on her bike again tomorrow. Everyone else is healthy, but getting pretty worn out. The good news is we have completed the last of the super long days. Tomorrow is a mere 154 miles, although it will be a little hillier, as we stay in Alabama for one more day.
Pace lines are a pretty effective way to cross the country. We have done really well with our group/pace line. Starting with Will and I nearly 10 days ago, we added Clay, Steve and Brian. For the last two days, we have been joined by Tom and Jeremiah. We all have very different cycling backgrounds but have been able to work together to maintain a good pace every day. All of the faster riders early in the tour are noticeably slower now. Our group has a couple of pretty strong riders, but we have been able to keep it fun and consistent. There is another pace line group, that has finished 1/2 hour behind us for each of the last couple of days. They are doing well too, but for whatever reason, we are able to maintain a faster overall pace.
Pace lines are not for everyone. It takes a good amount of focus to pay attention to the rider(s) ahead of you, watch the road and maintain your position in the group. Going up hills in particular is a good test of group cooperation as we need to find a pace that everyone can handle. This takes a certain amount of awareness and patience, but we are getting pretty good at finding the right spin or standing speed to keep the group moving along. The other thing about pace lines is that you don't get to see a lot of scenery along the way, although we are mostly riding through farm country and small towns so there hasn't been too many natural beauty spots.
There are a number of solo riders that are doing a great job, including Bruce, on his recumbent, John from the UK who is 25 and bombs along at a good clip on his own every day. Wayne, John Newton and Brad all have managed the whole route so far and are riding well.
Tomorrow we travel from Camden to Eufaula, staying in Alabama. We are starting to think about life after Elite Tour. Our re-entry back into the rest of the world will be a bit of a shock, at least for a day or two. So far I don't think we have missed anything too critical as far as world events are concerned, but I am sure all of us have families, and some have jobs that are waiting for us to be part of again.
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