Day 21. 90 miles. Montana, wahoo!
Idaho was hot, hilly, and full of head winds. The roads were sucky. Though it was absolutely beautiful, I'm happy to leave it behind. Hello, Montana!
We planned on a century today (100 miles) but fell a bit short; we ran out of daylight.
Today included Lolo Pass, which is a gradual 45ish mile climb, followed by 5 steep miles to the top. It soaked up a lot of the day, but it wasn't too bad overall. We battled cold, wind and rain all day, all things that slowed us down a bit.
Towards the end of the day, I was exhausted, so McKinley hopped in front of me so I could ride her draft. We were doing a cool 20 mph. I got too close, bumped into her pannier and bit it hard. I tore my rain pants, leggings, gloves, a small hole in my pannier, and a few spots on my rain jacket. My knee is scraped up, but that was my only injury, thankfully. If it wasn't so cold and rainy, I wouldn't have been full of layers and protected from the pavement. Small miracles! I'm so glad we will be taking the next few days off in Missoula, my ass is ready to be out of the saddle.
Yay Montana, yay rest days, yay for an awesome ride partner!
Whoa, Patrice, your first skinned knee! Glad that's all it was, but I know that the front wheel will take you down more so than the back wheel. Your miles and hills are just amazing to me!! I am awestruck by your strength and fortitude. I'm sure having companionship helps, but still, you are SO strong!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy some time out of the Brooks saddle!