Home Sweet Home

Yes, you read the post title correctly.  I am home in Colorado.

I decided to end the bike ride.  For a variety of reasons, the joy of riding was gone and it was becoming a chore to ride instead of a vacation.  The heat and the forecast of more heat was the final straw.  I have no regrets and am not disappointed, at all.  Thanks to all of you who checked in on my progress through the blog and your well-wishes.  Now that the bike ride is over I have the freedom to do whatever I want with the rest of the summer.  I think I will start by mowing the lawn!

Ken's House to Toronto, KS

Distance - 82.94 miles

Time - 5:01:05

Elevation Gain - 1462 ft

Max Speed - 31.6 mph

Average Speed - 16.5 mph

Trip Total - 2326 miles

Spent the Fourth of July weekend at Bekkey's Dad's house.  4 1/2 inches of rain one night. The ground is very soggy. Also said "goodbye" to Danny at the Wichita airport.

Got an early start this morning trying to beat the heat.

 

Roads were generally quiet and flat. Speeds were high as the wind was from the southwest and I was riding mostly east, with one section of about 17 miles riding south. There was an "excessive heat" warning for the area and even though I was making good time it was difficult on the body.

 

When the heat index reached 111° it was best to quit riding and get out of the sun.

Scott City, KS to Ness City, KS

Distance - 57.01 miles

Time - 3:59:48

Elevation Gain - 212 ft

Max Speed - 18.9 mph

Average Speed - 14.2 mph

Trip Total - 2243 miles

It was raining this morning at 5:00 AM so we slept another hour and a half in hopes that it would stop. It did, so we left around 7:30 AM in the sogginess.

 

Only made it 57 miles. 57 of the hardest miles  I have done so far. I'm having terrible luck with wind. I can't take advantage of the flat terrain, to gain miles and speed, because the wind is brutal. Legs and morale were both gone by Ness City so grabbed a chocolate peanut butter milkshake and called it a day.

 

Toured Fort Larned this afternoon to pass the time.

Eads, CO to Scott City, KS

Distance - 102.77 miles

Time - 6:18:00

Elevation Gain - 555 ft. 

Max Speed - 25.4 mph

Average Speed - 16.3 mph

Trip Total - 2186 miles

Another generally flat day.

 

The evil headwind kicked up this morning making the first 35 miles a real chore. As it turns out, that part of the day was about the only elevation gain we had all day.  Saw two badgers this morning in the ditch. They hissed at us as we went by then scurried into their hole.

 

When we reach Kansas the wind subsided and we were able to pick up the pace without increasing our effort. That lasted most of the rest of the day.

 

 

Lots of wheat fields and wheat harvest this afternoon.

Limon, CO to Eads, CO

Distance - 84.18 miles

Time - 5:23:45

Elevation Gain - 1051 ft

Max Speed - 26.3 mph

Average Speed - 15.5 mph

Trip Total - 2084

What should have been an easy day, was anything but... you guessed it, headwind.  Generally downhill and flat. 

 

 

It was nice, though, to have Danny with me. We took turns breaking wind. I hope you read that with the meaning I intended!

 

Great road surface to ride on. Concrete with wide shoulders. Many tractor-trailers, dead snakes, and lots of grasshoppers this afternoon. Kind of like parting the Red Sea as we rode through the grasshoppers.

 

Apparently, Eads marks the halfway point of my trip.

 

Enjoyed a cold strawberry smoothie, Danny and iced coffee of some kind, and Mary & Elroy a chocolate frappe (now called Mary's drink) at a coffee hut in the Eads.

 

Lakewood, CO to Limon, CO

Distance - 106.49 miles

Time - 7:24:43

Elevation Gain - 4760 ft

Max Speed - 37.5 mph

Average Speed - 14.3 mph

Trip Total - 1999 miles

Climbin' to Limon.  He said the Colorado eastern plains were flat?

 

Riding with me the next five days is Danny a.k.a. Ez. It is nice to have a riding partner. We get to talk, draft and commiserate with each other. The support group for the next two weeks is my sister Mary and brother-in-law Elroy. We are having a great time!

 

Riding in familiar territory has its advantages. Like knowing where to stop for donuts!

 

After riding for about 50 miles we finally got out of the Denver metro area and the bedroom communities. Lots of long rollers all day. Mostly up with just a little bit of down in between. The grades were long but not terribly steep, 4%.

 

Just one nasty 11% grade east of Franktown.

Bike MS 150

Day One  Westminster, CO to Fort Collins, CO

Distance - 80.43 miles
Time - 5:22:39
Elevation Gain - 2674 ft
Max Speed - 47.6 mph
Average Speed - 14.9 miles
Trip Total - 1825 miles


Day Two  Fort Collins, CO to Westminster, CO

Distance - 67.89 miles
Time - 4:10:45
Elevation Gain - 2461 ft.
Max Speed - 35 mph
Average Speed - 16.2 mph
Trip Total 1893

Had a great two days riding in the Bike MS 150.  This is a terrific fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  One more time I will include the link to my MS fundraising page in case you want to donate to this worthy cause.

Kevin Bike MS 150