BAK Day 2 - Hot, Hotter, Hottest!!

Well, as you know, with me it's always an adventure... My CPAP battery was completely shot and I wasn't going to be able to use it. So the great guys at Bubba's Pampered Peddlers Daisy chained me in to a power source with the other guy on he trip with a CPAP. Which, by the way, is a huge pain but aids in amazing sleep. So this morning I slept through my alarm... oops!! I woke to the feeling of drowning and suffocating all at the same time. There is just no other way to explain it. I look outside of my tent to see one of the young men, who are tearing down tents, holding both sides of the cord in his hands. Apparently he didn't know what it was there for, and it was time for me to get up... oh well!! I was dressed, breakfasted and ready to go by 7am. A little later than I would have liked, but still totally doable. Today the temperature was supposed to reach a high of 101 degrees and we were to have 40mph direct cross winds until we reached Ness City, KS and turned North. I was under direct orders not to get dehydrated today, so I filled my 3L hydration pack and 2-24oz water bottles in addition to putting a couple of extra bottles of water in my bag. 

Once on the road, it was hard going. When I left the school it seemed that I was one of the last few out of the starting gate. It is very disheartening to thing that you are going to be last. I can be competitive. Not quite as competitive as one of my dear friends. who can turn ANYTHING into a competition, but I don't like to lose. Does anyone? While I was riding in a 40mph crosswind, I gave myself a moment to lament and then I pulled myself up by my bootstraps (or shoe laces - as it were) and told myself to get over it.

One of my favorite sayings posted on the wall at Adamant CrossFit, where I like to workout, is "No Ego." It's one of the reasons I love to go to the gym there. While there are the super buff and the first timers, everyone is appreciated for who they are, where they are, when they are... everyone is trying to reach their own PR (personal record), and everyone is cheering each other on the entire way. We are a team. Everyone
 is at a different stage or level, but we are a team or family, and we support each other no matter what. I just told myself to drop the Ego... I don't have to be first, and i may just be last... but I won't quit until I have to. 

In this ridiculous crosswind, my goals became much shorter... you can make it to the mile marker... you can make it to the fence post... you can make it to the roadkill... you can make it to the next tree (which are ridiculously few and far between in Western KS)... and so in. I also gave myself permission to take breaks as needed. Realize this... sometimes the little breaks are just as important as pushing yourself. But, I will get to more about that later.

One of my hamstrings started to cramp up, so I pulled over to stretch a little... when I looked back, Li and behold, there were about 150 cyclists behind me. See what hindsight can do?!? Here I was thinking I was last out, and there were all these people behind me. All I could see was what was directly in front of me... my blinders were in... alright Ego, begone!!! I can't tell you how many people passed me today, saying, "on your left." And to each one I replied with a thank you and some form of good job or keep up the good work... no Ego... everyone is working on their very own PR.

Well, wouldn't you know it, once I got to the 2nd SAG stop, the apple juice that I had for breakfast reminded me why you don't have apple juice for breakfast. I had my very own digestive emergency, in the middle of nowhere, without a restroom, porta-john, or outhouse in sight. Why in the WORLD I had apple juice for breakfast is beyond me. That's a rookie mistake. EVERY parent knows not to give a kiddo apple juice, particularly on a long trip. I'm going to blame it on the altitude and leave it at that. Regardless, there was no waiting and there was not an appropriate place to go... meaning fields of dirt and short cut drainage ditches... Not Happening! I caught the SAG heading into the next town for ice, about 13 miles away, and took care of the problem. 

While I was there, in Ness City, I came across the coolest convenience store I have ever seen. They had everything... and I do mean everything. There was a firearms case behind the register, fishing gear, hunting gear, cooking/camping gear, clothing... you name it - they probably had it. It was about the size of the customer service area at Walmart, and had at least as much variety as Walmart. Needless to say, I was impressed, but I didn't need any of that today. So I grabbed some pretzels and jerky and headed down the road. 

This is where we turned north to head towards the final destination of Wakeeney, KS. Since we had been riding hard in a 40 mph crosswind, it was wonderful to have the wind pushing me instead of me pushing against the wind. The scenery became more rolling, with long 
ascents and even longer descents. On the way to our lunch stop I found myself going over 24 mph down a hill, and it felt great. 

Now, let's stop and talk descents for a moment. I don't care what anyone has told you... any cyclist going downhill with their hiney off the seat is not doing it for speed... NO, they are doing it to take the pressure off their sensitive bits, which tend to get VERY sensitive on a long ride. Hence why I gave myself permission to take breaks as needed. Sometimes taking 2-5 min off the bike can give you the umph to go farther than just powering through. So remember, sometimes it's about pushing yourself, and other times it's about taking a much needed break. And trust me, I used EVERY descent to its full advantage.

We got to the turnoff for Ransom, where we were to have lunch, which was graciously prepared by the local VFW. Those two miles into town were brutal. We turned back to the south east and it was like pedaling through cement. I could walk faster than I was pedaling. Those two miles in and out were infinitely harder than the entire trip had been thus far. We kept wondering to ourselves if this was going to be worth it. All of the riders coming out of town said it was worth it. True, the food was amazing and they did a wonderful job, but I was spent, and I still had 24 miles to go. Ugh!

After lunch we began our final leg of the journey to Wakeeney. The temperature was rising and the heat was radiating off of the black top. I was applying sunscreen every 30 minutes because I was sweating it off so quickly. Keep in mind that I refilled all of my water at every SAG stop and in Ness City, and made sure to drink it all between stops... again, I was under strict orders not to get dehydrated. The 3rd SAG stop I sat in the shade and drank two bottles of water before filling my gear to get in the road. At this point, every little sign, fence post, electric pole, etc. has become my next goal. I was exhausted and very hot. 

For those that don't know, I am of Nordic decent. I tolerate the cold weather really well, but I do not react well to heat. I turn all different alarming shades of color and typically worry those around me, even LONG before I am dehydrated. 

I knew I wasn't dehydrated... trust my nursing skills here because I'm not going into details... but I knew I was going to overheat before long. In the distance, I saw a little white clapboard church and I told myself that I would make it to the church, about 4 miles from the last SAG. I knew if I could get there, I could call for a SAG pick up and they would easily be able to locate me. When I turned in to the driveway of Zion Lutheran Church, there were bicycles lined up near the trees, but no one to be found. Lo and behold, Mrs. Anderson, the pastors wife, had seen the cyclists on the road, turned on the AC and opened the church for us. The water fountain was refrigerated and cold. The restrooms were clean and the building felt like heaven. She kept apologizing for not having anything else for us, and we kept reminding her that just being there at the right time had been blessing enough for us. 

I sat with a cold compress on my neck, in the AC, drinking water until I was able to cool down. One of the SAG vehicles pulled in while I was sitting here and asked if I wanted to be taken into town. I was feeling a little better, so I told her I would text her if I needed the ride. I got back on the road and doggedly pedaled to the next SAG stop. Apparently I looked alarmingly bad, because they offered me the only chair with an awning - remember, no shade in western KS - and filled my water bottle. I did some real soul searching at that time because I knew I didn't have to finish, and yet I really wanted to finish today. I decided to keep going. They said it was about 10 miles to town, so I headed out. Here were some fabulous downhill slopes and I was going to use each one to its best advantage to get me up the next hill. At one point, I was doing almost 36mph. That is the fastest I have ever gone on a bicycle. The last 1/4 mile into town was straight up... double UGH. When I got to the top of he hill, there was a Subway in a convenience store where I stopped for the restroom, cold water and the cool air. 

While I was there, I found 5 guys who were also with BAK, that had stopped for a late lunch. Since they were getting ready to go to he school, I invited myself to be part of their group back. This was mostly because I needed a little extra motivation to go the last 2 miles. They graciously agreed.

When I got into tent city, our guide for the week grabbed my bike and ordered me to sit down and drink something. Apparently I looked much worse for the wear. He put my bike at my tent while I guzzled still more water and a couple of pickles, YUM!! When I was feeling a little better, I went I to the gym, where the ac was going at full blast, to lay down and put my feet up. About 15 min later I was back to my old self... but of course still looked awful. Even a shower didn't help... the awful colors would have to go away on their own. 

BAK has its very own singing group that goes to nursing homes along the route to sing Barbershop music. They invited me to come sing with them and rehearsals began. We even got to sing the KS state song tonight, at the premier of the documentary, Home on the Range. I'm their utility person, except for bass, because I just can't go there. It was great fun and we even offered the audience to sing with us.

After that, I went to dinner with the two ladies who had 
gotten dehydrated yesterday. What a wonderful time we had, laughing, joking, and getting to know each other.

All in all, I rode 58 of the 71 miles, and I'm proud of that.Today I learned that I am tougher that I think I am. And so are you. I also learned that encouraging others ALL DAY LONG has a huge positive effect on my overall outlook. And, I didn't die or get dehydrated... mission accomplished!!