Day 26

Sometimes we psych ourselves up for big rides, and then they aren't as bad as we expect.

Since the fabulous Miss Christy's departure, I've been struggling to find a riding partner with whom I gel.  

Today we were scheduled to ride 165km, and that's a long time to spend with anyone, let alone the "wrong" group.  I don't mean wrong in a mean way, but it can be a struggle to keep up with a pack of fast cyclists, and a struggle to keep pace with a pack of cyclists who don't quite go your speed.  

I set out with about 7 cyclists, some of whom I had ridden with early on.  A few miles in Bonita joined us and then broke out saying, "see you later."  I mumbled something about not wanting her to be alone, and chased her down.  We rode the rest of the day together, and it was good.  We were evenly matched for speed, time off the bike at the SAG and for a gradual slow down as the day progressed!

As we headed into town, just after crossing the state sign for Nebraska, we saw a huge dark cloud forming.  We tried hard to beat it in, but got caught 5 minutes from camp.  The wind picked up, the rain and hail started and we got drenched. It was wonderful!

Today was made extra special by hospitality from two local groups.  The reformed church near Phillipsburg, KS had a brunch ready for us, and a local fast food joint served us free ice cream.  It's the small things...

We averaged 25.2km/hr and were in the saddle for about 6.5 hrs.