An easy day, relatively speaking. Especially after yesterday.
Two 10-mile stretches on the interstate - heavy traffic, lots of debris on the wide shoulder, bur easy grades. I found those sections comfortable; others were intimidated by the noise and volume of traffic.
Speaking of the interstate, America surely is a nation on the move.
I had thought I might lose weight on the tour, but riding with Gina and Dena has put that notion to rest. For example, today we had breakfast in Brawley before heading out, followed by a McD's cheeseburger meal in Quartzsite, then lunch and water fill-up in Brenda, and finally an ice cream bar in Hope. Then Gina and I prepared dinner for the group; green salad with avocados, cucumbers, carrots, cranberries and feta cheese, along with either rice pasta or ravioli with meatballs and red sauce, and topped off with a chocolate cake in honour of Janet and Ryan's birthday. The meal went over well, which was a big relief.
You may be wondering why I'm choosing to ride with Gina and Dena. Our relationship is somewhat symbiotic. On the hilly, headwinds days, my role is to ride in front as a windbreaker/pacer, so the girls are towed along with little or less effort on their part. On the easier sections, I'm relegated to the rear to perform the "Car Back" call to warn of overtaking traffic, thus relieving them of the responsibility of checking their mirrors. For their part, they keep me grounded, so that I don't go charging off at a breakneck pace to see if I can beat everyone else to the next stopover. All considered, I think I'm getting the better deal.
Two more days of riding before our first rest day in Tempe, AZ.
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