Today's ride would prove almost as difficult as yesterday's. We knew that today would be cold, so everyone arrived at the morning route rap session decked out in all of their cold weather gear. I was not able to get a jump this morning - I was moving pretty slow. We headed east towards Sedona with temps in the mid-40's. We hit climbing right off the bat and the scenery began changing by mile 10. The red rocks of Sedona are an incredible sight. We got some relief from climbing with a descent into the town - a nice tourist town set in the middle of red cliffs.
Climbing began immediately out of town as we entered the forest. The road narrowed considerably and traffic increased. A bit like biking in Bermuda. After a few hours, we hit some painfully steep switchbacks. Most of today's 5206 feet of climbing came within the first 50 miles. And this was right on top of yesterday's 8500 feet of climbing. Following the switchbacks were a set of long rollers leading into the town of Flagstaff and the day's first SAG.
At the SAG, all riders were pretty frozen and taking refuge in a convenience store. I actually removed a layer of clothing (a biking tee shirt) that was soaking wet, had a cup of hot chocolate and felt much better. From that SAG, the route takes numerous turns through the university, down about 4 miles of bike path (the first bike bath since Costa Mesa) and out onto Historic Route 66, which is in desperate need of paving.
Just a quick note on Route 66. It was one of the first national highways and built in the 1920's. It ran from Chicago to Texas and over to California. It was designed to run through the Main Street of numerous towns and other towns sprang up on it afterwards. For several decades, Route 66 was the main road to California. When the national interstate system was rolled out, it replaced Route 66 in many places and made it obsolete in others. Towns that flourished when it was the main road to the west coast, started to die. Our biking route will take us along this road or near it for the next several days.
Once outside of Flagstaff, it was onto I-40 and the snow started coming down pretty hard. Because the short time I took at the lunch stop, I was riding solo and out front. It was a very bizarre experience - riding all alone down the shoulder of the interstate in the snow. And it was absolutely freezing. After about 20 miles, I came across a mileage sign for Albuquerqe - 308 miles. And we'll be there the day after tomorrow. For the next 40 miles or so, there was a gradual descent and a slight tail wind. Under these conditions, it was easy to crank along at a good speed. There was one 5 mile stretch where I was able to maintain an average speed of about 25 mph.
The final SAG was at the exit for Meteor Crater. It is only about 5 miles off the interstate, but no time for any sight-seeing on this trip. Like many SAGs (Support and Gear), this was one set up in the middle of nowhere. Barbara shoots ahead of the riders, parks the van and sets up a table with snacks. It was too cold to stay around, so I shoved down about a dozen cookies, re-filled water bottles and got back on the interstate. The ride into Winslow AZ was only about 25 miles. Once again, I was able to make pretty good time.
Winslow AZ is one of those towns along old Route 66. I don't know if it is the way we come into town, or what ... but this town is dead and dying. It is twin cities with Blythe CA. Lots of shacks and old trailors. Maybe we just enter and exit on the wrong side of town, but I get the feeling there isn't a good side of town. I will say that compared to last year, the town has improved significantly. They have repaved many of the roads, added a nice wide bike lane and put in brick pavers. For those of you that don't know, Winslow's claim to fame is from a single verse in a song by the Eagles (Take It Easy). They've built a tourist attraction downtown around that song. But we were staying out by the interstate.
We were staying across the street from last year's hotel, a Quality Inn - which is a misnomer. This year's hotel was an EconoLodge - aptly named. We overlooked a large empty parking lot in front of what looks like a long deserted K-Mart. The staff cars in the hotel parking lot are all cars that I had forgotten had ever been made. When's the last time you saw a Maverick? And all the cars were stripped of paint from the sun and sand. Like I said, this town is pretty dead.
For dinner, several of us walked across the street to a grocery store. Once you're off the bike, you start to cool down immediately. It was freezing and the grocery store, which looked so close, was about a quarter mile away. But once in the store, we could have been anywhere in the US. It was clean, big and modern - a complete contrast to everything else in this town. We were content to stay in there for over an hour.
What a day. I can't believe I started out west of Sedona. Seems like days ago. This day was my best day of biking last year. That thought kept entering my head on today's ride. It was so long and hard, but eventually you forget the pain (after the ride) and just remember the sights. Maybe when I look back on this day in a couple of weeks, I will remember it with rose-tinted glasses. But right now, I'm just tired, cold and sore. This ride is really beating me up.
While the hotel has WiFi, it doesn't appear to extend beyond the lobby. So this posting will probably be a day late.
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