HOT. HUMID. 102 MILES. Temps in the high 90's with 90% humidity. Heat Index = 120 degrees. The intense heat wave hitting the mid-West is making this stage of the tour very difficult. Today's ride really took a toll on most of the riders, although Zippy wasn't effected as much as others. ABB has a system whereby when the SAG wagon passes a rider on the road, if they're OK, they give a low hand signal. If they need assistance, they raise their hand.
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| Zippy Gives The OK Signal |
From others' descriptions, they couldn't breathe in the thick, muggy air and they were drenched in sweat from the first pedal stroke. 102 miles is LOOOONG way to go in conditions like this. The SAG wagons were making constant circuits to see if any riders were in trouble, making sure everyone had enough water and reminding them to stay hydrated. Some people put ice cubes in their bandanas and tied them around their necks. Everyone made it in OK, but later during RAP, Mike said he was kind of surprised that they didn't have to take anyone to the emergency room for heat exhaustion. It was that kind of day. Dairy Queens are worth their weight in gold. Adrienne comments that she's been to more DQ's in the last month than she has in her entire life.
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| A Blizzard To Go, Please |
As they passed through several small towns, riders often went into any convenience store they could find just to cool off in the AC for a while. Besides the long miles, oppressive heat, sometimes poor road conditions and the last 20 miles on busy county highway, it was a flat ride, with endless miles of corn fields and maybe a soybean field thrown in here and there and some wind turbines, making for a pretty boring ride. I think everyone has seen enough of corn fields to last a lifetime. At least there was a favorable tailwind.
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| Southerly Winds Are Good Conditions For Turbines |
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| Corn People: Russell, Mike, Blythe, Lucy, Mary |
At the small town of St. James, there was a reporter from the local newspaper, interviewing riders and taking photos. He was quite taken with the tour and the people There may be a story in the local paper. I couldn't find it on the website, but just in case it still appears, it is : www.stjamesnews.com.
Mankato is a nice big small town, apparently referenced as the "big city" in Little House on the Prairie. The motel is very nice and has an elevator! Now you can appreciate why this is important. Terry called to tell me he had a huge dinner with 2 pieces of carrot cake AND a cherry cobbler with 2 scoops of ice cream for dessert. The world's smallest biker is trying to at least maintain weight!
As you know, a positive attitude is a necessity--even if tinged with sarcasm. How's this one, coming from 2CameraBob: "The best part is, we get to do it all over again tomorrow - we ride 99 miles to Rochester, MN with the same high temperatures and humidity, and for a bonus we get to climbs some hills."
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