Big Ride - Day 11 - Avon, MT to Townsend, MT

Started with a rather cold day and a hard climb. About a 4 mile steep climb to McDonald Pass to cross the Rockies. The climb was easier than I thought and probably should have pushed harder, but the cold of the morning meant sleepy legs. At the top of the pass Mark pointed out that there was a dirt road that headed to a look out area. Ruben and I headed up there, and so glad we did. It felt like we were on top of the world. We looked down east and west of the mountains and watched the sun rise as the morning mist rose from the valleys. I realize the more we ride, pictures can just not capture these moments.

I should take a side moment and mention pictures are going to be lacking now. The new camera I got kind of broke and the LCD screen is shot. I can take pictures but not see what I'm actually taking or how the picture comes out. I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot of off center shots or pictures of grass instead of signs and people. Back on the road it was time for the descent. Unfortunately there was a real bad head wind which kept me from picking up any serious speed. I have yet to hit my goal of breaking 45 mph. Oh well, there's always Pennsylvania later in the trip.

A few miles off the base of the mountain we had a lunch stop in the parking lot of a strip mall where there was a bike shop. We all sat around tail gating (read: eating cookies and PB&J) waiting for the store to open. Since it was a short day no one was in a rush to get to camp, especially since the gear truck was going to be in this parking lot for a few hours. We all sat around joking around and eating up a ton of parking spaces, which seemed to confuse the locals. Nick also borrowed a trails bike to try and do some tricks for everyone. That was quickly ended when we thought he blew out a tire and quickly put the bike back.

The rest of the ride was pretty flat with a strong head wind. I rode most of it alone, occasionally seeing Ruben, and used the time on 12 East to practice catching drafts off passing trucks. I think I found the sweet spot just off the white line of the road where a passing truck's wind will pull you in towards it just before propelling you forward because of it's speed. This definitely helped pass the time and fight the headwind that wanted to slow me down.

At camp we all set up in the high school football field, talked, debated more pranks, and finally ate a great pasta dinner prepared by Daniel, our ride leader.

Final Ride Stats

Mileage:

62.91 miles

Time:

4:02'52

Avg Speed:

15.54 mph

Max Speed:

39.3 mph