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deCycles Mexico to Canada 2013
Journal Entry
Date: July 6
Day16: Saturday
Departure: Cheyenne, WY
Arrival: Lusk, WY

Distance:  140-miles.  16.1-mph average.
Climate:  Sunny, afternoon rain for 30-min.  100-degrees.  Variable winds.
Overnight:   Congregational Church of Lusk.

Anytime you pedal 140-miles on a bike, it is a super century.  That's what they did today in all sorts of conditions.  The group faced monster headwinds, crosswinds, and even had a tailwind for 30-miles.  The deCycles pulled out of Cheyenne at 7:30am and circled around the state capitol building.  This off to the high plains of eastern Wyoming.  The first 10-miles was uphill and headwinds.  Then a 30-mile stretch of tailwinds had the riders hammering 30-mph pacelines during that entire stretch.  Wheeee, that was fun!  But, at mile 39, we turned back north into a monster crosswind.  It was so oppressive we decided to ditch the safely flags.  At that point, the quote of the day from group leader Addison Elkins was "it was the greatest moment of my life."  As expressed, we all don't like the flags that much, but they are necessary on a trip like this.  But  negotiating the crosswinds was the main issue at that point.

The winds died down some after lunch, but the heat turned on and got up to 100-degrees.  So this day qualifies as a double triple......triple digit distance and triple digit temps.  As the day wore on, 4-5 riders started to fade and took some rides in the sag wagon.  Most everyone else put the hammer down and was determined to get to Lusk.  And they did so by 5:30pm.  It was a 10-hour effort which is extremely impressive.  My odometer showed 8500-calories burned while on the bike.  The scenery was impressive in it's own right.....high plains grasslands with occasional buttes and mesas.  Wyoming population is sparse.  Traffic was not a problem today.  The 3pm afternoon rain was like painful needles penetrating the skin because of the high winds.  

The church facility here is excellent and our hosts are very receptive.  We were rewarded with a popsicle as we pulled into the parking lot after a long day on the road.  It was the best gift ever.  Everyone is exhausted and went to bed early.  Me too!!  This is the second written journal because the first one deleted when my head hit the keypad while falling asleep.  Good night!!

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