Miles: 65 Climb. 1,850
Total Miles: 854
After days of riding on Interstate 80 with semi trucks going 75 miles per hour and debris strewn across the shoulder, today we rode 65 miles and all but about 3 miles was on bike paths. We rode all the way from Salt Lake City to Provo on beautifully maintained bike paths. The bike paths link the communities that have grown between Salt Lake City and Provo. We rode along well manicured subdivisions, farms, schools and businesses. Beautiful mountains provided a backdrop the entire way. We rode through Brigham Young University when we got to Provo. It is a very nice campus and Provo is a pretty mountain town.
We normally have SAG stops about every 30 miles, so on a sixty mile day there is only one SAG stop. The SAG stop today was near an In-N-Out Burger, which has become quite the attraction for our group of riders. Rather than eating more peanut butter and jelly (which everyone is getting tired of) we went to In-N-Out for burgers and shakes before 11:00 a,m. The amount of food we consume is unbelievable.
I was very tired today. The residual fatigue from the hard Wednesday ride lingered in my legs, so I decided to make the day a recovery ride by using a lighter gear and faster cadence to work out the lactic acid and warm the muscles. It was a beautiful ride, but I was so tired I was very glad when it was over. I'm actually thinking a day off might not be a good thing during a long endurance event like this.
I am very impressed with the bike trails we've been on thus far in the western states. It is evident that southeast Michigan is far behind other states in building bike trails for recreation, fitness, and transportation between communities. I've been giving some thought to what we might do to advance the status of bike trails and lanes in our state.
Tomorrow we continue our trek through Utah with a 75 mile day and a 9 mile climb as we head toward the Rocky Mountains. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep and fresh legs when I wake up in the morning.
Interesting observation about rest days. I know in the Tour, riders typically ride, not hammer, for two or so hours and try and stay off their feet. I guess rest days mean something different for tour riders and those riding across the country. I'm sure you will soon work back into your routine.
ReplyDeleteHi Laura. We had a great ride today west of Dexter. I look forward to riding don with you and seeing all your pics and hearing you talk when it's all done. Glad to hear you are off the interstate. Bike trails sound heavenly in comparison.
ReplyDeleteYour ride on the bike trails sounded safer even if you were still fatigued. I pray that you get a great night of sleep and feel better tomorrow. I think that on your rest days you might really try to rest as hard as that may be when you would like to do some sight seeing. You are working so hard and your muscles really do need a true day of total rest. Maybe just get up enough to do the laundry and eat. God I can only imagine...sleep, sleep, sleep my friend:)
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