DAILY BLOG

With our rest day over in Colorado Springs, we drove this morning south to Raton, NM where we began Stage 11 of the tour. The drive took a bit longer than I expected, and we actually did not get on our bikes until 11:30am. As it turns out, we had plenty of time to get the stage in.

Back to the flats

The schedule was an 83 mile leg from Raton, NM to Clayton, NM. It was the fastest 83 miles I ever rode in my life. We averaged nearly 20mph for the whole ride, but a great part of it was actually at speeds of 25-31mph! For us, those are quite unheard of speeds. We did get aided by a tailwind for part of the time, but when we switched directions, that great wind became a nasty sidewind that frequently blew us all over the shoulder of the road.

Jared’s computer after 35 miles

I was worried that today would be a major letdown for Jared and I, because Colorado mountain climbing had been such an emotionally satisfying experience. However, today’s mild temperatures (low 80s), interesting scenery, and occasional tailwind was enough to keep us focused and excited about the stage.

Jordan rode with Jared/I for 47 of the miles today, which was his daily record. He did a great job and it was fun to see him ride so well and finish up with us. Justy has been having some pains while riding, so he’s been limited over the past few days to just a few miles a day.

Jordan had a terrific riding day

An antelope wonders why bicyclers are riding on the road

We’d never been to northwest New Mexico, so riding Highway 64/87 was an interesting experience. Lots of grazing country with cows, antelopes, and jack rabbits. Definitely not desert, much more like the West with a mixture of the Great Plains.

I got the first flat tire of the tour today. We’d been amazed that we had not had any flats thus far. Sure enough, about 30 miles outside of Clayton, I got one. Fortunately, we have a spare wheel, so I quickly put it on and hardly missed 2 minutes. The only bummer was at the hotel tonight, I was changing the tire and found out that our air pump is no longer working. Major bummer. I can’t really do anything about it until we get to Oklahoma City in a few days. I had a couple canned CO2 air pumps I brought with me. I used one and have one left. I am really praying that we can get to OK City without further need for air!

Our first flat comes 11 days into the tour

Taking a break along the roadside

About 95% of the drivers we have encountered have been courteous. Most give us ample space. A few pass us closer than what we’d like. An occasional rude driver honks at us right when they are near us, always causing us to jump. Colorado had the best drivers so far, several of them waving or giving us a thumbs up sign. When you are climbing a mountain pass, that encouragement is a great help.

Photo by Justy

Arriving in Clayton, NM

Tomorrow, we travel 105 miles as we head into the panhandle region of Oklahoma. I’ve never been to Oklahoma before, so it will be a new experience.