First, the numbers for Stage 2:
Total distance: 412 miles
Total time: 32 hours over 7 days
Average speed: 12.9 mph
Ascent/Descent: + 19,338ft / -19,120ft (+218 net)
Longest day: 76.2 miles, Springfield to Joplin (Friday)
Shortest day: 30.1 miles, Marshfield to Springfield (Thursday)
Worst day: Joplin to Vinita, 68.7 miles. (Given the headwinds, I have no idea how we managed an 11.7mph moving speed.)
Second, our running total for both stages (Chicago to St. Louis; St. Louis to Tulsa)
Total distance: 737.9 miles
Total time: 57:41 (or 02:09:41) over 13 days
Average speed: 12.8 mph
Ascent/Descent: +25,823 / -25,633 (+190 net)
Since finishing, several people have asked me: “What was the best part?” It’s a hard question to answer. There was nothing–at least no single moment–that stands out as exceptional. There were numerous fun moments and significant victories:
+ Coming up with all kinds of juvenile puns about “Uranus”
+ Seeing a living, breathing armadillo
+ A memorable descent from St. Robert into Waynesville (-300 ft over 1.2 miles)
+ Racing (and winning) against an approaching stormfront to reach Avilla for lunch before the rain did
+ Finishing that brutally windy day and coasting into the hotel parking lot in Vinita
There were also some less-fun moments:
– Having to walk my bike up a hill for the first time
– Cars and trucks passing way too closely at high speeds
– The really high percentage of people in rural America who simply aren’t healthy… and who keep eating really large portions of really fatty foods
I guess it’s the gestalt of the experience that makes it “rideworthy,” not any single component. I’d be remiss, though, if I didn’t point out one huge factor–maybe the most important factor–in making this a great week of riding, namely, the companionship of Jon Scott. For anyone who is contemplating a bicycle trek of any significant distance, having the right riding partner makes all the difference in the world. At the end of the day, long-distance cycling is essentially a solitary activity (unless you’re on a tandem bike). If you’re going to be riding with someone else, you have to have the same sensibilities about when to engage and when to disengage. Otherwise, even the best friends can get on each other’s nerves.
Counting last year’s rides from Illinois to Wisconsin, when I joined Jon for a segment of his cross-country trip, he and I have now ridden over 1,000 miles together; 1,037.9 to be exact. I don’t think we could have done that–and continue to want to do more–without having the right kind of friendship. (The fact that Jon shares a birthday with another very close friend, Mike Monarchi, suggests that maybe there’s something to this astrology and numerology stuff.)
Stage 3, OK City to Amarillo, comes next year. Can’t wait.
Next post: The remainder of this year, and other roads ahead….
Rideworthy 