Epic Bike Ride Day 1 May 19, 2024

Thoughts from Kelly: after a good sleep in Hachita, we drove 45 miles south to Antelope Wells, NM (a border port) to start the epic bike ride. Again, not being as prepared as we wanted, it took us forever to get set to ride. Mark finally headed off in the heat of the day (it was between 90-100 all day) and had to take a lot of water, ice and rest breaks. It was pretty tough to ride in that heat and 4,000-6,000 feet higher than what he is used to. After beating himself up about not doing as well as he wanted on day 1, he listened to reason and his body and stopped before he got super sick. We drove to a safe spot in Separ, NM for the night and drove back to where he stopped the next morning, so he wouldn’t skip any miles. He saw a few antelope, some cows and very few cars along the way.

Thoughts from Mark: Soooo many emotions! After years of dreaming about this ride, and months of planning, stressing, and preparing for it, here we are! I was so nervous the past few hours, that by the time I actually got on the bike, it was a huge relief. The first few miles seemed to fly by, and then the reality of the situation started to hit me. As I looked around, it was a very strange feeling to see no one (and lots of nothing) around. Kelly stayed close to me for a few miles, and then we agreed to meet up in about 15 miles for a break. The AC of the truck felt so good on the break stops, and each break seemed to last longer than the one before. By the afternoon, it became extremely hot, and each mile turned into a bit of a chore. Luckily, the road was in pretty decent condition (at least compared to Michigan - which is a very low bar), and the riding didn’t hurt too badly.

The change in scenery was really interesting. We went from absolute emptiness right at the border (very little vegetation, lots of sand/dirt) to small bushes in the first 10 miles, then some shrubs, increasing amounts of green vegetation, to cattle farms and large ranches. The heat was consistent, and Kelly tried her best to get me to eat/drink at all of the breaks, but my stomach was not interested, and by the end of the day I was extremely tired. I need to do a better job of hydrating!

Miles for the day: 59.85 Feet climbed today: 699

Total miles ridden: 59.85 Total feet climbed: 699