Day 40 August 8 New Hampton to Fennimore Sea to Sea 08
Stats today
Distance 100.9
Time in saddle 7.35
Ascent 3226 feet
Current elevation 1184
Average speed 13.3 miles per hour
Departure from camp was 620 AM for both Hank and I. I arrived at 330 and Hank at 4 PM with SAG pick up. He had a flat tire while sitting at Walter’s SAG and was very tired. He decided he had enough riding for the day.
We have finished 3 days of biking 100 miles or more. Everyone is very pleased that we have completed these days and they are now behind us. People had been anxious earlier in the week, wondering how it would go. By in large it has gone very well for people. They are now looking forward to more leisurely bike rides for the next little while.
I started out this morning riding alone. Joan wanted to ride with Anne again as she wants to ride faster right now. When we started out this morning, the first 15 miles of road were very bumpy and had lots of holes. I could not look around at all and had to keep my eyes glued to the road to avoid hitting holes. Pace lines were not practical at this point.
As I was biking along I did hook up with different people over the day. I rode with Anne, Ralph, and Ed for about 10 miles than they picked up speed over a hill and left me in the dust. 10 miles later, Dave Geerlings and Russ Johnson asked if I wanted to draft and I rode with them for 20 till we had a coffee stop. At our coffee stop in Postville, Joy and Doug Lutke came in and Joy said she would ride with me the rest of the day. Joy and I stayed together into camp. We had hop scotch Doug, Dave and Russ several times at SAG stops and the Wisconsin welcome centre, as they would go off and take pictures or go into various towns along the way. The last 10 miles Dave and Russ pulled Joy and I into camp. They also helped nurse Joy’s tire into town as it kept loosing air. We pumped it up four times. Just before we arrived at camp it went completely flat and Joy walked the last .2 miles into camp. Russ also helped me up the hills by putting his hand on my back and pushing me up the hill. He did this three times as I was running out of stream and my legs were starting to feel like lead. Thanks to Dave and Russ for making the last 10 miles more fun.
We did have another section of road that was very unsafe for us. It was newly paved, but there was a 12-inch rumble strip along the shoulder for 20 miles. They also had put down new gravel on the shoulder, but lots of gravel was spilled on the section of shoulder where we were supposed to ride. Riding through gravel is not safe for touring bikes. We ended up riding on the busy highway, as the shoulder was unsafe for us. On this section of road we did have a cyclist Don Bruinsting from Michigan who wiped out and broke his collarbone. This is now the fourth accident we have had that has forced the person off the tour. It is a difficult time for Don and very sad that he cannot finish the tour.
The countryside we biked through varied. We had lots of cornfields initially, but as we had more hills and trees we saw more cattle and less corn. We left Iowa and entered Wisconsin where we noticed many more trees than cornfields. We crossed the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chen .
We did have some headwinds today, but towards the end of the ride we had slight tailwinds. The temperature was a moderate 83 degrees which was very comfortable and relief from the really hot days of last week. Spirits are still very high and everyone is looking forward to a shorter ride of 72 miles tomorrow and the weekend.
We are camped at a nature park with little services. Showers are a mile away. Hank and I opted for a sponge bath today and hope to have good showers tomorrow.
When Hank came in he had to fix his flat tire. Doug helped him fix it. While he was sitting relaxing at his tent, the tire blew again. When we checked the rim, we notice the felt strip covering the spoke holes was partially exposed where the tube blew. Tomorrow when we go to get Hank a new rim for his bike we will get the felt strip replaced on his front rim as the same time.
Stats today
Distance 100.9
Time in saddle 7.35
Ascent 3226 feet
Current elevation 1184
Average speed 13.3 miles per hour
Departure from camp was 620 AM for both Hank and I. I arrived at 330 and Hank at 4 PM with SAG pick up. He had a flat tire while sitting at Walter’s SAG and was very tired. He decided he had enough riding for the day.
We have finished 3 days of biking 100 miles or more. Everyone is very pleased that we have completed these days and they are now behind us. People had been anxious earlier in the week, wondering how it would go. By in large it has gone very well for people. They are now looking forward to more leisurely bike rides for the next little while.
I started out this morning riding alone. Joan wanted to ride with Anne again as she wants to ride faster right now. When we started out this morning, the first 15 miles of road were very bumpy and had lots of holes. I could not look around at all and had to keep my eyes glued to the road to avoid hitting holes. Pace lines were not practical at this point.
As I was biking along I did hook up with different people over the day. I rode with Anne, Ralph, and Ed for about 10 miles than they picked up speed over a hill and left me in the dust. 10 miles later, Dave Geerlings and Russ Johnson asked if I wanted to draft and I rode with them for 20 till we had a coffee stop. At our coffee stop in Postville, Joy and Doug Lutke came in and Joy said she would ride with me the rest of the day. Joy and I stayed together into camp. We had hop scotch Doug, Dave and Russ several times at SAG stops and the Wisconsin welcome centre, as they would go off and take pictures or go into various towns along the way. The last 10 miles Dave and Russ pulled Joy and I into camp. They also helped nurse Joy’s tire into town as it kept loosing air. We pumped it up four times. Just before we arrived at camp it went completely flat and Joy walked the last .2 miles into camp. Russ also helped me up the hills by putting his hand on my back and pushing me up the hill. He did this three times as I was running out of stream and my legs were starting to feel like lead. Thanks to Dave and Russ for making the last 10 miles more fun.
We did have another section of road that was very unsafe for us. It was newly paved, but there was a 12-inch rumble strip along the shoulder for 20 miles. They also had put down new gravel on the shoulder, but lots of gravel was spilled on the section of shoulder where we were supposed to ride. Riding through gravel is not safe for touring bikes. We ended up riding on the busy highway, as the shoulder was unsafe for us. On this section of road we did have a cyclist Don Bruinsting from Michigan who wiped out and broke his collarbone. This is now the fourth accident we have had that has forced the person off the tour. It is a difficult time for Don and very sad that he cannot finish the tour.
The countryside we biked through varied. We had lots of cornfields initially, but as we had more hills and trees we saw more cattle and less corn. We left Iowa and entered Wisconsin where we noticed many more trees than cornfields. We crossed the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chen .
We did have some headwinds today, but towards the end of the ride we had slight tailwinds. The temperature was a moderate 83 degrees which was very comfortable and relief from the really hot days of last week. Spirits are still very high and everyone is looking forward to a shorter ride of 72 miles tomorrow and the weekend.
We are camped at a nature park with little services. Showers are a mile away. Hank and I opted for a sponge bath today and hope to have good showers tomorrow.
When Hank came in he had to fix his flat tire. Doug helped him fix it. While he was sitting relaxing at his tent, the tire blew again. When we checked the rim, we notice the felt strip covering the spoke holes was partially exposed where the tube blew. Tomorrow when we go to get Hank a new rim for his bike we will get the felt strip replaced on his front rim as the same time.
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