deCycles Pacific Mountains 2010
Journal Entry
Date: July 2
Day 20: Friday
Departure: Bakersfield, CA
Arrival: Palmdale, CA

Distance: 105 miles
Highlights: Enter Mojave Desert.
Description: The final century of deCycles 2010. It was a tough one. We climbed over 4000-ft to get into the Mojave Desert. Then we had humongous tailwinds for about 30-miles that helped us get back on time. Then the final killer of the day was having the road turn south causing us to buck a strong crosswind for 25-miles. That really sucked the juice out of us.

The downhill was about 20-miles. At the top was possibly the largest windmill farm on the planet. White tri-blade windmills covered the entire mountainside. It was spooky. It looked like giant insects and the mechanical buzz infiltrated the entire area. Look at the pictures. After that, the group experienced the fastest downhill on the trip….perhaps ever. The riders were flying down that mountain with a 30-40 mph tailwind. The road was exceptionally smooth and there was no resistance. Nick Perhala hit 62.9 mph. Jeff Grissom hit over 60-mph. He should know better. Wow, everyone was at least over 50-mph. I had to take it easy with all my camera stuff on the bike. It took forever for me to stop and take videos of the guys flying by. Jacob Iula really flew down that mountain. I got really good videos of those flybys. A couple of riders tangled down on the flats in the Mojave Desert. Lauren Weatherall and Hanna Weigle suffered some scrapes and a cut on the chin. Several riders suffered from heat exhaustion today. They just won’t listen. Some of them are eating terrible and not following any helpful hints. It’s like talking to the wall. The SAG wagons were full today. It’s often the same people over and over.

We are getting ready for the last day. Entering the second largest city in this country will be exciting and challenging. We have many people working on our arrival ceremony. We are ready to dip our tires in the ocean.
Climate: Clear, sunny, hot all day. High 90s. Windy.
Overnight: First Baptist Church of Palmdale