Day 22: Double Metric Century

June 26, 2016
Pueblo to Lamar, CO
Miles:  125  Climb:  1,100
Total Miles:  1,567

We continued our trek through Colorado to Kansas on US 50, the Santa Fe Trail. The Santa Fe Trail was established in 1821 after Mexico had won independence from Spain.  The trail was an important trade and emigration route in our history.  It has been very thought provoking to ride these roads that played such an important role in the development of the country.

We had an early departure in order to beat the heat.  There was, again, a headwind from the southeast.  In the three weeks we've been riding, I believe we've had a westerly wind one day. So much for thinking that riding west to east we'd have the prevailing winds at our backs.

The route today was 120 miles.  Before leaving the hotel, the Tour Director said that if anyone wanted to add on five additional miles, a certificate would be awarded for completing a double metric century.  A metric century is 62.5 miles, so by completing 125 miles, a rider could achieve a double metric century.

For the first 75 miles I threw caution to the wind and rode with the fast group.  I decided that it would be better to ride fast with them as long as I could hold on in order to get the miles behind me and to take advantage of the draft.  Instead of taking the place at the back where I usually ride, I rode behind Liz, who drafts her husband, John.  John pulls.  Riding in the middle of the pace line is the best place to ride, much better than the back.  There is more turbulence at the back and the rubber band or yo-yo effect forces the last person to sprint to catch up from the stopping and starting at lights and other slowdowns.  On other days, sprinting to catch up quickly tired me physically and mentally, which is when I would choose to drop and ride alone.  Today, I rode in the middle.  We averaged 19 mph for the first 75 miles.  At the SAG stop, John decided he wanted to finish the last 45 miles at a faster speed, so he left without us.  Liz and I completed the day together, taking turns pulling for each other against the wind.  Our pace for the last 45 miles was much slower because we were both tired from the fast pace and the headwind had picked up.

Even though I was tired when I neared the hotel, I decided to add on the extra five miles to achieve double metric century status.  I rode past the hotel, continuing into the headwind and turned around when my Garmin read 123 miles.  Just two miles back to the hotel and I'd earn the certificate.  When I made the turn, my Garmin displayed a low battery warning.  I panicked, concerned that if the Garmin died, I'd have no proof.  I rode the last two miles as hard as I could with the wind to my back. I needed to finish before I lost power both in my legs and in my Garmin.  I pulled into the hotel driveway and my Garmin read exactly 125 miles.  I'm feeling pretty happy tonight.

The scenery today was not what I expected.  I thought it would be prairie and big ranches.  Instead, it was rural with big farms.  Huge fields of corn, wheat and alfalfa lined both sides of the US 50.  It had a rural beauty, except for the horrible feedlots we passed.  I think those should be banned.

Tomorrow is another century day.  We ride 107 miles to Garden City, Kansas.  Forecast is for the high nineties and wind out of the southeast, AGAIN.