We Made It To Kansas!!! (4/28)
10:30 am
Ellen & Alissa here! We’re sitting in one of the 12 passenger vans right now waiting for riders to arrive for their first rest-stop on the journey from Ordway, CO to Leoti, KS. Yesterday we rode from Pueblo, CO to Ordway, CO. It was about 58 miles, which shouldn’t seem too daunting, however, the headwind made for a challenging ride. We slept last night in the wrestling room of Crowley County High School. Support Team A made a very yummy casserole with chicken (or tofu), cheese, stuffing & cream of mushroom soup. We also had biscuits & brownies! Before we left this morning, we gave a lecture to 150 high school students at Crowley County High School, which went over well. Unfortunately, the riders are still facing a headwind today, but they all seem to be staying in good spirits. Last night the members of Support Team B stayed up late making a special treat for the riders – egg salad for sandwiches. Hopefully, the egg salad will give the riders a little extra energy to help fight the wind today. Hoping the weather stays good for us today – forecast has a 20-30% chance of thunderstorms this afternoon.
12:55 pm
Just headed off from the first rest-stop - definitely a stiff wind that the riders were fighting all morning – mostly head-wind but coming a little from the side as well making it hard to pace line. Riders all said they were hanging-out in their climbing gears the last 2 hours despite the flat terrain, and feeling like they weren’t moving anywhere! They all seem to be hanging in there though and are back on the road now fighting the wind again. Clear blue sky at least at this point with no storms in sight!
3:15pm
Waiting at the last rest stop after lunch. This is a very tough day on the riders, but spirits are staying relatively high. We had a great egg-salad lunch & busted out some Nutella, which is a big hit with everyone. We’ll likely have to rack the bikes after this stop, as we have about an hour’s drive to Leoti, Kansas. Tonight we’re planning to eat Mexi-Mac (macaroni & cheese with sour cream, guacamole & salsa) and cinnamon rolls as dessert. Hope this gets all our riders ready for another day tomorrow (hopefully minus the headwinds)!