Day 38: 64 Miles

Larned, KS to Ness City, KS

After 109 miles yesterday I decided to sleep in this morning, which was probably not the best idea. By the time I got out of the motel the winds had picked up significantly and it was already hot. It was good that I’d pushed through yesterday, because doing that ride in today’s conditions would have been impossible.

The ride started out with 10 miles headed west into the wind. I only managed to average 9.5 mph during this stretch. Next was a 20 mile stretch headed north. With the wind behind me I managed to average about 16 mph. This got me to Rush Center, KS where I stopped for lunch.

Rush Center looked like a ghost town, but the bar I got lunch at had about 40 people inside. It was a large percentage of the town’s population. After my lunch break I had 32 more miles to go but it was headed west again and the winds were horrible.

I knew the afternoon was going to be miserable, but I didn’t think it would be as bad as it was. I averaged 8.5 mph over 32 miles with the temperatures nearly hitting 100 degrees. I really thought about waving a car down to get me the rest of the way, but by 4:15 my struggle was over and I’d made it to Ness City. When I arrived at the town park I knew Matt would be there, but I was not expecting all of the other cyclists. There were two guys around my age both from NY and a Canadian. I was also told there were two older guys and a couple on a tandem bike staying at the motel. That makes us a group of 9 people brought together in the same town in Kansas all riding our bikes across the country.

I was able to use the town pool and shower off after my ride which felt great. I then went to dinner with the 2 NY guys at a local Mexican restaurant. Tonight I’m camped out at the town park in Ness City. I will need to get up early tomorrow to beat the heat and winds.