Roundup to Forsyth: Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Libraries... they are a double edged sword.  On one hand, for perhaps only the 4th time on this trip, I get to type with a keyboard. On the other hand, in order to hit it while it is open I am writing this entry while still gassed from the ride (figuratively and sort of literally - I did drink that Roundup water...)  Soo... whatever.

Today was the day! I did Townsend to Forsyth in 4 days, which the girls in 2007 did in 5 (a much better schedule) and shaved a day so now I will arrive at RAGBRAI on time. I'll still need to do a couple more 100 mile days, but it seems like I'm on the path to success.  Forsyth has an interesting history for us.  In 2007 when I left Ariel, Karen, and MinWah in Missoula so I could catch a wedding, I re-met them in Forsyth. As such, for the next 5 days or so I'll be doing the same route I did 7 years ago, perhaps the most magical section of our trip. I'm too tired to rehash the stories, but they are on our old 2007 blog starting here (includes 2007 4th of July story!)

So yes, today was the day.  I road 105 miles and spend about 7 hours on the bike.  For those of you who missed when I explained that, that's 7 hours sitting on the seat pedaling, and doesn't include breaks. My tendons and ligaments barely complained (sleeping in compression wraps is awesome!)  The first 50 miles were an ass-kicker, fighting a 15-20 mph off-kilter North headwind.  The wind shifted between 9 to 12 o'clock (if I'm heading towards 12) and spent most of it's time around 11.  That's a dangerous wind, because I have to continuously counter-steer into it.  It's the kind of wind that gets you sucked under passing trucks, especially if you are light and inexperienced. I remember watching Morgan in 2003, then only 14 and tiny, get sucked into the road several times by semitrucks under similar conditions.  Luckily I'm rather large and experienced, but I still needed to keep on my toes.  When trucks passed going the other direction is was like being hit by brick wall of wind, enough to drop my speed by what seemed like half. Boom!

I was heading NE for the first 50 miles or so, and then I turned SE.  I knew this was coming. I was waiting for it.  Around 50 miles that terrible headwind became a beautiful tailwind.  My first 60 miles took 4:30 on bike.  My last 40 took just over 2:30.  That doesn't mean that that last 40 were easy, though...

Tailwinds are a mixed blessing, and they have a couple drawbacks. Mainly, they are hot.  That's 2.5 hours sitting on a bike in blistering heat with no wind to cool you unless you stop. The second drawback is, and this doesn't always happen, is that you are really accessible to bugs.  Today that was a problem as I was riding through biting fly and bee country. Both can easily keep up with a rider going 20 mph if they have a tailwind too, especially if they get in your draft.  It so happens that today I was riding through honey country.  When I had the headwind the bees just flew past me, occasionally bouncing off me not-butt-first.  If they wanted to hassle me they couldn't fight the wind as well as I could, so I was effectively untouchable. With the tailwind they kept up, and some were mad that I was near their many many many honey boxes.  They would bomb me, bug me, draft off me, and were fairly aggressive.  The 30 miles after Ignomar was the worst.

I didn't realize how screwed I was until one of them stung me in the quad through my bike shorts.  I swore, and slowed down to pull out the stinger, and several more attacked.  I stood up and sprinted (pushing the bee poison all throughout my quad), and they kept right up in my draft. I had to keep accelerating and swerving trying to get the wind to push them off me.   Then I had to roll up my shorts and pull out the stinger while still riding.  I was 20 miles into a 40 mile push, really would have liked a break, but realized that I wasn't going to be able to stop until Forsyth.  I could feel the bee goo spreading through my thigh as I pedaled, but the bee failed.  It stung me in my leg. My legs always hurt.  That's what a bike tour it, a summer with hurting legs.  I told my thigh what I always tell it: "shut up and don't bug me unless you are low on fuel or sensing injury" and the sting pain puffed out of existence. Silly bee should have stung me in the face or something if it wanted results.  I was hassled several more times, and had to keep an eye on my shadow to know if they were around, since generally they were in my draft.  Jerks.

I ate lunch in Ignomar, an old-west town that was never paved and has real old boardwalks. Apparently it used to be one of the sheep capitols of the world.  At one point it had a population of around 2,500 - but now it's down to about a dozen.  I would like to write more about it, but I'm tired and this is too long already. I took a picture of one of the info signs, so check it out in the picture post.

I'm staying in the same dugout at the city park that we stayed at in 2007. Dugouts are awesome places to sleep. Sprinklers rarely hit them at 5am, they are sheltered from storms, and really discrete.  No-one is going to wake me up at 1am with a flashlight if I'm sleeping in a dugout.  The only bad part is no water at the park. Bleh, but there is water at the library!

Tomorrow is 55-ish miles to Lame Deer, a relative break, and I do love that town. I tried to get in touch with Deacon Joe (see 2007 Lame Deer post) to find a place to stay but I got a different guy on the church answering machine. I left a message, we'll see.  I was supposed to have a stiff headwind (south, and I'm going south all day tomorrow), but the forecast changed today so what will be a 3mph flit-around random wind.  Yay!  The crazy in my is considering pushing farther, but I love Lame Deer, could use a break, and know that the day after Lame Deer gets hilly and even has a pass. Pass number 15!

ILYI