Today I biked: 105 miles (of 116 mile course), some rolling hills, rain, strong headwind.
Cumulative: 18 biking days, 1408 miles, 69000 feet.
Dave, our head guide, crashed hard today in the rain and broke a chip off his femur. His bike just slipped out from under him on a wet curve as he started to chase Larry and I up some hills. He's going to be okay, but won't be able to walk for few days and will be in a lot of pain for some time. Luckily no surgery or intervention is needed for the recovery. Dave is planning on staying with the trip, though, of course, he won't be doing any more riding. How terrible. You never want to see anybody injured, especially a great guy like Dave. And it gives you pause, if he can get go down, being one of the most experienced and well-conditioned riders I've ever met. Get well soon!
Today I biked the entire day in pacelines, mostly the peletón. There was no other reasonable choice. I actually felt good and with fresh legs after yesterday's rest, and didn't feel like it was a particularly difficult day, despite the rain and wind. (Nonetheless, once I put in over 100 miles, I decided that was enough.) The scenery was pretty today and less monotonous, but between watching the wheel in front of me and not wanting to pull out the camera in the rain, I didn't do much in the way of photos.
Tomorrow is a rolling recovery day, only 72 miles to Ponca City. Though the forecast is for more rain.
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