Rugby, ND

Would you rather bike 120 miles with light rain for parts and a heavy thunderstorm? Or would you rather bike 60 miles into a headwind?

Well, that's been our past two days. Today was pretty brutal with the wind. It came from everywhere. Well, everywhere except from behind. For comparison's sake, yesterday over those 120 miles I spent 6 hours and 40 minutes on the bike. Today, over the 60 miles I spent 5 hours and 20 minutes. Stupid wind.

The first half of the day I rode in a line with Kevin, Pen, Christopher and Derek. The line wasn't so much to draft or block the wind, since the gusts prevented us from being close to each other and the wind would switch between a headwind and a crosswind, sometimes both, but we were riding more for moral support. It helps to know that people are around you and you push and feed off of them. Kevin flatted about 2 miles from Devils Lake. We waited for the trailer to come since he needed a new tire, there was a large hole in his.

The second half of the day, we all split apart and rode on our own. We were all a little stressed out from riding so close to each other and with fatigue setting in, it was tough to concentrate and maintain a constant distance and straight line. Splitting up was good. I made it through most of the last 30 miles by myself, which I'm very proud of. Normally, when I ride alone I tend to go a lot slower and have difficulty since there's nothing to focus on, but things were clicking today and it felt relatively good.

On a bit of sad news, we had our first trip to the hospital today. Again, the wind was very gusty and strong so being in a group of riders is tough to keep up. In another group, Katrina tapped wheels and took a spill. I wasn't there for it, but heard that her little finger was a bit askew; she also had a few scrapes on her face and shoulder. Dan, today's van driver, took her to the hospital where she got x-rays and determined that she broke her finger. They put a cast on and bandages and she'll be alright. The hospital was in Rugby, our night's destination, and the trooper that she is, got back on her bike to make up the 30 miles that she didn't finish. She biked 15 out and then turned around for 15 back. We're all relieved that she's okay and amazed at her resilience. She's set a new standard for the "tough as nails" trophy, all while doing it with a smile.

For those that aren't aware, Rugby is the geographical center of North America. There's an large pile of rocks to make it official. It's too funny. Real people, real places.

Must run, prom tonight.