Day 24 - McPherson, KS to Emporia, KS - 81 miles - 745 feet climbing - 4:55 hours in the saddle

Deja Vu!  Still in Kansas. Still riding due East. Still have crosswinds from the south/southeast.  But the terrain is more rolling as we rode through the Flint Hills.  Here are a few scenery pics from today’s ride.

We rolled out of McPherson under sunny skies and quickly formed a pace line to counteract the crosswinds.  When it was my turn to take the lead, the shoulder narrowed and I quickly ran out of tarmac and ended up in the gravel.  With a 3” lip to get back on the pavement, I decided it was safer to come to a stop before climbing back on to the pavement!  Unbound, a major gravel cycling event,  is next weekend in Emporia, but I have already had my encounter with gravel!

After that Joel and I teamed up, with each of us riding in front for 1 mile, then switching.  We kept a good pace together and the miles flew by until the 50 mile mark.  At the Flint Hills, we each went solo.

SAG 2 was near the Flint Hills Rodeo at mile 63.  The apple slices with caramel dipping sauce were a big hit with me.  When I ran out of apple slices, I just used my finger in the caramel sauce.  It was similar to the energy gels!

The last 20 miles were a hard slog.  I was getting hot and tired.  We have ridden 9 consecutive days covering 712 miles. With a rest day tomorrow, I was ready to get to the hotel.  But I had to deal with annoying rumble strips that go across the whole shoulder.  I have seem so many different ways that rumble strips have been used and these bone jarring, momentum killing rumble strips are my least favorite.  Fortunately, new road construction asphalted over sections of these rumble strips.

Many restaurants and bars in Emporia were closed for Memorial Day.  So beers were at Applebees, where I had an interesting conversation with Tom, Crossroads staff.  And dinner at Pizza Ranch.  Rest day tomorrow and I plan on sleeping in, completing my bike chores and exploring Emporia.  Oh and relaxing before we start our next 7 day section of riding.  Our next rest day is in Champaign, IL, where I went to college and 60 miles from my childhood home.  Erika will join me for the next rest day.  

And I continue East!

Savor the Journey // Achieve the Goal