Epic Bike Ride Day 2 May 20

Thoughts from Kelly: Today brought the transition from paved roads to gravel/dirt. This made for a harder ride. Mark was still adjusting to the altitude and it was still between 90-100 degrees. Lots of hills today! We ended the day in Silver City with Marks favorite meal from Blake’s Lotaburger and stayed at a KOA. After we enjoyed fantastic showers we were fast asleep!

Thoughts from Mark: The transition to gravel/dirt/rocky/washboard-y roads was tough. If you are wondering “Hey Mark, what does it feel like to ride a bike on a washboard road,” well friends, let me tell you. Reach down and punch yourself in the “junk” two times per second. Repeat this for 4-5 minutes, then rest for 1-2 minutes, and then do it again for 10 straight minutes. Now do this while trying to climb 1,000 feet, or (even better), do this while on a descent, and try not to crash as you are being vaulted off of the bike. Add to this mix some sharp curves on some of the switchback roads, and it can be a bit frustrating/scary, as well as painful.

On the ride today, a coyote crossed the road about 50 yards in front of me. He/she took one look at me, and could not have been less interested in what I was doing. He/she simply kept trotting, and was soon hiding in the bushes near the road. A portion of the road was an open range, and there were multiple times where I would turn a corner, and find a cow(s) standing in the road, or right on the edge. Some of the bulls had massive horns, so I tried to tell them we were friends, and they didn’t need to gore me. Luckily, all of them listened, and we made it through the day without any collisions (both with the bike, as well as with Kelly driving the truck).

Miles for the day: 57.92 Feet climbed today: 3,363

Total miles ridden: 117.77 Total feet climbed: 4,062