Thursday, July 28, 2016

Day 12 - Powell WY to Sheridan WY, 122 miles, 7300' cumulative climbing

 Our tour leader Lon Haldeman, had repeatedly been warning us over the past ten days about the difficult climb over the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming.  Well, today was the day, and I can report that he was not exaggerating at all!  Nearly all of our elevation gain for the day was in the 25 mile climb to the summit at mile 60 on our route. With grades exceeding 10% for several miles, and tipping up to 14% in a few spots, this was perhaps the most challenging climb I've ever attempted.  At times my speed was hovering around 4 mph, and a brisk walker could have passed.  But I made it!

On a sad note, we lost another rider today, early in the ride.  Gerry took a bad fall when his front wheel got caught in a groove in a concrete street section, and he hit the ground hard, resulting in several broken ribs and a concussion.  I'm so sorry this happened to him; we will miss him in our little riding group. Gerry is a triathlete and will be back in competition in no time.  Best wishes to you, my new friend!  Losing two riders already is a strong reminder to us all that we take on risks every day and must be vigilant to our surroundings.  Pavement quality, auto and truck traffic, gusting crosswinds, blind curves and more are all potential issues you have to monitor.  Safety first. But we're still here to have fun of course!

So the show goes on, and we continued through the day, climbing higher and higher.  The payoff?  Unbelievable views of the Big Horn Basin, and a fantastic winding downhill run, where I could see the curves coming and had no sudden surprises, and a bit of a headwind but nothing to cause a problem.  My high speed today, and for the trip so far, was 46 mph. Exhilarating!  

The Big Horn Basin viewed from 9000' elevation

Dinner tonight was at the Wyoming Rib & Chop House near our hotel in Sheridan. Great steak and the biggest baked potato I've ever seen were the perfect ending to a tough but rewarding day.
Looking down at sections of the road we climbed to the summit



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4 comments:

  1. DerferMarkJuly 30, 2016 at 7:24 AM

    Dayum! Nice job! Makes the WI hills seem like puppy's play! What's been your peak speed so far on some of those descents?

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    1. Yours TrulyAugust 3, 2016 at 7:11 PM

      46 mph so far Mark. I thought the speeds might be higher but though the descents are long, they're not as steep as Wisconsin where I have gone over 50 a couple of times.

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  2. UnknownJuly 30, 2016 at 8:33 AM

    Today I caught up on your blog and I now feel like I'm riding across the US. I also had difficulty crossing the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming and I was in my car! Keep it up and remember how proud we WCCCers are of you!

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  3. Janet RothJuly 30, 2016 at 10:01 AM

    Just binge-read all your posts. Will now have you in my feedly so Mas & I can follow along! What an incredible trip you're having - thanks for sharing it.

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