Day 17 - Tucumcari, NM to Dalhart, TX - 94 miles - 1,427 feet climbing - 6:26 hours in the saddle

The theme of today’s ride was Riding Outside the Rumble Strip.  We rode on Highway 54 all day long.  The Route Rap this morning was left out of the hotel in Tucumcari and 94 miles later, left into the hotel in Dalhart.  The route is heavily trafficked by semi trucks.  To be safe we ride on the shoulder, but the shoulder included the rumble strip leaving only about 12 inches of pavement before a drop off in New Mexico.  Texas had a much wider, smoother shoulder,

                                                            New Mexico

                                                                Texas

This riding on a narrow strip conjured up memories of 10 year old Todd (circa 1967) on his Schwab 3 speed in the bicycle rodeo at the McLean County 4-H Fair.  The rodeo included events such as riding through cones, a slow race and riding on a 1x10 board to show your balanced, steady riding.  Fortunately I have used all these skills on this trip….riding through construction cones in Wickenburg, slow race at every stoplight in hopes that you will not have to unclip from your pedals and balanced riding outside the rumble strip today.

The scenery was fairly consistent throughout the day with train tracks to our left and this to our right.

We rode through a couple of small towns today, which I always find interesting, yet depressing.  Most of of these towns have seen their better days and are barely hanging on.  I’m not sure how anyone makes a living in these desolate areas.

We crossed into Texas today (our 4th state) and are staying the night in Dalhart, before riding to Oklahoma tomorrow.

As we enter the Great Plains area of their country, the difficulty of the daily ride will be less dependent on climbing and more dependent on the direction and speed of the wind (and of course always, mileage).  Today we faced a sometimes headwind and sometimes a partial cross wind, that in the afternoon was blowing 12 - 13 mph.  At mile 68 I joined a group that was riding in a single file with the purpose being that the front person breaks the wind and makes it easier on everyone else who is “drafting”.  Over time everyone rotates forward to their turn in the front.  It made the miles slip by quicker and easier!s

Today I attempted to focus on my pedaling technique.  The goal is to pedal in a circle, getting power out of every phase of the pedal stroke (not just the down stroke). This technique will make you a smoother, more efficient rider.  Yesterday I felt like I was just stomping the pedals down and not getting any power out of the upstroke. I have over 2,000 more miles to practice!

Tomorrow we continue our northeast trajectory into Oklahoma (where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plains)!

Savor the Journey // Achieve the Goal