Rest Day in Sioux Falls. New helmet, clean clothes, double pie-a-la-mode. What's not to like?
On a blog post without too much to say, I thought I'd give you a sense of what the riders' days are like---besides the riding. The miles of riding and climbing are just one part of a very busy schedule. In fact, the pre-ride and apres-ride times are very hectic. The ride time is actually the "quietest" time of the day. While each person has their own way of doing things (and I've borrowed a lot from Julie's blog) here's what usually happens:
Organization is key. Every evening, there is a RAP meeting in which the handlers hand out route sheets for the next day, directions, miles, climbs and provide relevant information about the route--hazards to watch out for, any items of interest, weather report, departure time for the morning (mostly depends on the length of the route and the weather). The route sheets detail every turn at relevant mile marks and where the SAG stops are. Most days, Terry is awake by 4:30-5:00 am, eats breakfast and packs his duffel bag for loading onto the SAG wagon. The SAG wagons are open for loading of luggage usually by 6 am. They allow about 15 minutes for this, so there's a bit of a crush of people around the vans.
Making sure the bike tires are pumped and that they have everything they need for the day--cell phones, cameras, rain gear, arm/leg warmers--riders leave on their own and follow the route sheet to the next destination. Depending on the miles and the weather, there will be one, two or three SAG stops, which provide cookies/fig newtons, bananas, a variety of fruit and nut bars, water and fresh fruit when they have it. This is also when you can ditch extra clothing if you no longer need it.
When they get to their destination, sometimes the rooms aren't yet ready for them, which is a drag. Sometimes, the room is on the second or third floor, without elevators, so it's necessary to carry your luggage and your bike up to the room. If there were any mechanical issues during the day, they go first to the mechanic van for assistance. Once in their rooms, it's time to clean the bike, take a shower and either do hand laundry or get to the laundry machines, which probably has a waiting line. Now especially, with the intense heat and humidity, the bike clothes are very wet and dirty after a day's ride. You have to wear clean cycling shorts every day or risk serious rash conditions.Terry packed extras, but there's still always laundry to do. Elevating packing to an art, Terry carefully sorted his clothing into ditty bags and labeled them, so it would be easy to find what he needed quickly. He usually calls me at this point.
Then it's the RAP meeting, then dinner. Dinner might be in a restaurant very near the motel, but sometimes a bit further, so the riders are transported by the SAG wagons in shifts . After dinner there is more organization for the next day, lay out clothes, re-charge cell and camera. Sometimes, I get another phone call around this time, especially if something funny happened at dinner or at the RAP meeting. There are variations on a day but basically that's it, over and over. Of course they socialize and commiserate along the way assuming the weather is good. Bed time for Terry is usually no later than 8:00, sometimes earlier. Other riders sometimes do something in the evening, especially if the next day's ride isn't too arduous, but Terry found that if he doesn't get plenty of sleep, he suffers on the ride.
Well, I don't know about you, but this doesn't sound like a vacation to me!
Tomorrow, they cross into Minnesota and State #5.
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