First a report on the trip to Springfield, IL. Amazingly the skies were clear and everyone anticipated a nice and easy ride to Springfield. However, true to form for the XC 14 riders, there was a significant headwind the entire day. For the riders it was a 106 mile day which resulted in the fatigue piling on even more. This is the time of the trek when you wonder why you are even doing the ride. For me between truck and van driving I pedaled 25 miles. Not quite enough to satisfy me but that is how it worked out.
The bridge in the picture was a two lane bridge. So I had to just take my lane and go. There was absolutely no shoulder. I waited until the coast seemed clear and took off. It was not long before I could hear the 18 wheeler that came up behind me shift down and down and down. I spun my little legs as fast as I could, hoping the driver could see I was trying to move faster. As he moved past me on the other side, I gave him a nice sweet wave. Maybe that helped. As you can see from the picture, we are now in corn country. The corn is not very high but it is a lovely dark shade of green.
A rider, Randy, had to drop out of the tour in Liberal, KS, because of knee problems. He lives in Springfield and he and his wife hosted us for dinner. What a wonderful treat. I enjoyed watching the riders with their voracious appetites. A large tray of a variety of cheese was set before them out on the patio. I have never seen so much cheese disappear in such a hurry. The hoard simply descended and devoured it. That was followed by lasagne, fruit, and wonderful brownies and ice cream.
Now fast forward to the ride to Champaign. It was cold, rainy, and just downright miserable. Add to that rough roads with no shoulder and the inevitable headwinds and you have riders that just wanted the day to end. I chose not to ride because I could and drove the SAG van all day. It was so cold I had to dig out the wool Indian blanket vest I bought in Santa Fe and put it on under my rain jacket.
Champaign is a much needed rest day. For me that means a trip to the laundromat to restock the supply of clean clothes.
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