Day 24--Wall, SD to Pierre, SD

Day 24—July 12, 2006—Wall, SD to Pierre, SD—117 miles—3670’ climb

We loaded at 5:15 this morning and scheduled breakfast at the Elkton House Restaurant for 5:30 in anticipation of a long hot day. Several riders had bought food for breakfast so left as soon as they had loaded their luggage. Others ate a quick breakfast at the Elkton House and then took to the road.

Because of the tar and oil yesterday, riders were waylaid with repeated flats this morning. By 9:30 am, I had 117 miles on the van and had made seven wayside stops for water or tire/tube replacement. The route today contained some big rollers and the views were 1000-mile, or so it seemed. The road was edged on both sides by vast hay and wheat fields and rolling tan hills. Very little else. It was over these tan hills that the road repeatedly climbed and descended.

Jim set up the first SAG outside a bowling alley in the small town of Philip. Riders did not tarry. They were off and rolling again in no time in an attempt to beat the heat.

Andy set up SS#2 in a little roadside park. It was beginning to heat up, and a couple of riders decided to sag in from SS#2. Shortly after this SS, riders picked up a pretty good tailwind and smiles began to appear. These smiles lasted only a brief 20 miles, however, before the group turned south and picked up a fierce headwind. They crawled the brief 6 miles to the SS, which had been moved this year to a beautiful, breezy, protected pavilion at a roadside rest area. I carved up three watermelons and every morsel disappeared. So did the ice and water on this triple-digit day—Michelle bought out all the ice and bottled water at two convenience stores, yet the three support vehicles still had to scramble toward the end of the day.

After SS#2, the support vehicles began to take on bikes and riders who wisely knew their limits and decided to call it a day. Many reached this decision at SS#3, so we scrambled the truck and one van to Pierre to offload luggage and riders and to take on water and ice and return to the road. The SAG van was unloaded and it went back to catch the tail. Riders who finished put in 117 miles. The support vehicles each probably doubled that as we ran the line of riders repeatedly doling out water and picking up riders and their bikes.

It was a long day for riders and staff alike. The first riders crossed the deliciously cool looking blue-green Missouri River and reached the motel between 1:30 and 2 while the last riders in reached the motel after 8 pm, having spent more than 14 hours on their bikes. Some sagged in the vans and truck, two went in with the police, and one hitchhiked with two Native American workers who decided to shut down when the heat reached 102-degrees Fahrenheit. But, no matter how they came in, all got in safely and enjoyed a good dinner at the nearby China Buffet, fueling for tomorrow’s 84-mile ride to Chamberlain . . . over terrain very similar to today’s.

OVERHEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:

*  “If you don’t think you can make it in on your bike, you might want to try that international airport across the road [a tiny one-building, two-windsock airport touted as an “international airport and spray service.”]

*   “Yeah. On windy days like this the crop dusting is probably international too.”

*  “Q: Do we change directions or are we going to have this strong headwind the rest of the way?”  A: “We’re going to have it the rest of the way.” 

*  “If you can’t say anything good then don’t say anything.”

*  “I love headwinds, Now I can practice my tuck.”