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Bicycle's Fast South 2004
Farrell Hayes & Roger Harris (the Rookie)
Hello
Friends
In cold weather, my knees sometimes stiffen up--That was not a concern
today--It was the hottest day that I've ever been outdoors on--much less riding
a bicycle 127 miles
I made it fine, but it was nip and tuck at about the 90 mile marker after a 6
mile climb and 105 degree heat--Two big bottles of water, a big poweraide,
peanuts and a klondike put life back into me and I rode fast the last 37 miles
into Palm Springs (It was downhill--that helped a little)
I dipped the back wheel of my bike in the Pacific this morning 8:00 and made
to Palm Springs just before 6:00--long day, but the heat and the mountains were
tough on everybody--I drank over 500 oz of fluids during the ride--that sounds
unbelievable, but I was still thirsty--you can't fathom how much water that you
have to drink or dehydrate--And that nonsense about "dry" heat not feeling as
hot, my response is--yeah right
Short day tomorrow--118 miles into Blythe--And it's going to be cooler--102
forecast
Thanks to everyone
Farrell
Hello Friends
Well, I'm alive and kicking--Today was super hot again, but it didn't seem as
hard as yesterday--I go by the "truck theory" on how hard it is--Yesterday at
the 91 mile marker, I wouldn't have minded a truck running me over--Today, I
never felt that bad
It is beautiful out here--big sky--great views of mountain ranges--Today
though, the last 70 miles were into a demoralizing 15 mph headwind--I was on my
aero-bars most of that time--so about the only view I got was the top of my
front tire--But I hung in there and got the motel before 5:00
Eight of us went to Pizza Hut for dinner--and eight large pizzas were ordered
Thanks
Farrell
Day 3, Sept 28 - Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, AZ - 117 miles
Hi Guys
Well, I made it into Wickenburg just before 5:00--which I felt pretty good
about because it was a brutal day--Super hot again, big headwinds and a real
rough road for the last 80 miles
We did enter my home state this morning--Arizona (actually my home away from
home state) and it made me spend a lot of time today thinking about how thankful
I am to God for all the 2nd chances----
One thing that I've figured out about a trip like this is that it really isn't
about riding a bicycle--It's about pushing your limits so far above your comfort
zone that you forget even where your comfort zone boundaries were--Part of each
day, your body and your mind are in-synch--But a lot of the day is spent with
your body and mind at war--Your body is saying "I quit"--"There is no way that
I'm pedaling this thing another inch"--And that's when your mind has to say
"Quitting ain't an option--deal with it" ----I had that war going on for 25
miles today--An ice cream sandwich finally settled the matter
Tomorrow, we finally climb out of this desert--That the good news--The bad
news is that we climb 11,000 feet--How far is that? About a third of the way up
Mount Everest--that's all
Thanks
Farrell
Day 4, Sept 29 - Wickenburg, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ - 100 miles
Hi Guys
Tough climbing day--like real tough--over 11,000 feet--It really helped that it
was cooler--But what else is it going to be at 7000 feet? I got to the
motel in Cottonwood, AZ just before 5:00.
The climbing today wasn't a picnic, but the worse part of the day for me was
the descent down the backside of Mingus Mountain--It was a 13 mile downhill and
super steep--I was holding on to my brakes for dear life--It looked like, just
beside the road, the drop-off was 1000 feet--And that tiny little guardrail
looked like it came out of a Lego set--It was spooky--My hands are still numb
from holding the brakes
I was very happy with how I handled the climbing--I had a little help from 2
ice cream sandwiches, a klondike, 2 peanut butter and honey sandwiches, a
snickers bar, 5 big bottles of poweraide, 500 oz of water, several packs of
crackers, a big bag of fritos and a 1000 grand candy bar--and that was just
during the ride--I ate a lot more before and after--I just had a bedtime snack
of 2 baked potatoes----And I bet that I burned off a lot more calories than I
consumed
By the way, this area of Arizona is really beautiful--With all the climbing, I
had plenty of opportunities to look around---and the scenery is stunning--I owe
my improvement in climbing ability to Tom Sell--If I hadn't worked with him this
summer, there is no way that I could have finished the ride today--absolutely no
way--The most important thing that he told me is to keep your heartrate in
aerobic range on climbs--Don't let it get up in anaerobic range--So that's what
I did today--If my heartrate started getting a little high, I would just slow
down and let it fall back into aerobic range--Thanks Tom
Thanks to everybody--I really appreciate your support
Farrell
Day 5, Sept 30 - Cottonwood, AZ to Winslow, AZ - 105 miles
Hi Guys
Today was a day that reminded me of why I bought a bicycle and why I came on
this trip--It was by far the best of the 5 days of riding--Yeah, it was 108
miles and yeah, the first 47 miles were big uphill, but the climb was beautiful
and after lunch I got down on the aerobars and dropped the hammer--averaging
around 25 the last 61 miles into Winslow--It was a blast--except for a flat tire
near Winslow
The big climb started in Sedona (red rocks of Sedona) and it is stunningly
beautiful--We went up Oak Creek Canyon--Words can't describe how pretty it
is--The climb was brutal--17 miles--4000 feet--but what the heck--I'm a climber
now--I say, bring it on--the steeper the better
Anyway--a great day
I went in a store in Flagstaff and a guy asked me where we were riding from--I
told him from Irvine, Cal and we had ridden through the desert to get here--I
told him that when we rolled into Blythe, Cal on Monday, the temperature was
114--he said, Partner that is right at the bottom of Death Valley, What
did you expect?-- I hooted--He had a good point---it is funny that everybody you
meet out here wants to know where you're going--and when you say--to the
Atlantic Ocean--they always say--"Say what--On that thing?"
Big mileage days the next 2 days and then a rest day--yeeeehaaaaaaaa
Thanks
Farrell
Day 6, Oct 1 - Winslow, AZ to Gallup, NM - 126 miles
Hi Guys
Tough day today--127 miles from Winslow, Ariz. to Gallup,NM--Climbing from
around 5,000 feet to a little over 6,500 in Gallup--I had 2 flats today which
slowed me down----but all that wasn't the problem--When I got to Gallup, I
discovered that my bike pack was missing--I turned around and rode an extra 8-10
miles looking for it--never found it--that put my mileage well over 130--the
pack had all my cash, credit cards, ID, cell phone and by far most important to
me--a little bear that my kids gave me to ride across the country with me---that
combined with a severe sugar low has me signing off now--maybe tomorrow will be
better
Thanks
Farrell
Day 7, Oct 2 - Gallup, NM to Albuquerque, NM - 100 miles
Hi Guys
Today started out really bad--one of the riders from Chattanooga--Ralph
Schmook--got hit by a car coming out of Gallup--a car turned left right into
him--luckily he hit the car broadside and flew over the roof--He suffered 2
broken kneecaps, but it could have been far worse--By the way, Ralph is, by far,
the best rider on this trip
Today's ride was 145 miles from Gallup to Albuquerque--The forecast called for
a 20 MPH headwind---I knew that there was no way that I could ride by myself
(like I've done the first 6 days) and make it--So I decided to catch the
"express train"--(ride with the elite riders in a paceline)--I rode almost the
whole way with them--we rotated the point every mile and averaged 17 MPH against
a 15-20 MPH headwind--I hurt all day, but I knew that, if I dropped off the
line, I would never make it to Albuquerque before dark--Well, I got here about
an hour before dark--The 145 miles was my highest mileage day ever--2nd place
was yesterday--That brings the 7 day total to 845 miles
I did do a police report this morning for my lost bike pack--you never know,
somebody might turn it in--Tomorrow is rest day and it is timely for me--My body
is a little stressed and I have several sore spots
Thanks to all you for your support
Farrell
Day 8, Oct 3 - Albuquerque, NM - Rest Day
No letter!
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