Day 14 - Friday, December 5

Description: Finished up in Van Horn Tx at around 5:30 - Central time. This was my first 100 mile ride of the trek and I am now over 1,000 miles done!!!

My little motel in Fabens did not provide breakfast so I was on my own. I snagged 2 oatmeal packs from yesterday's hotel plus bought some Pop Tarts last night after my Mexican feast. They did have an in-room coffee pot so caffeine was under control but calories were at risk. I scarfed everything I had down and was ready to roll out around 7:15. It was very cold and crap, the wind was still stiff in my face. I struggled at about 11 MPH for about 28 miles to Fort Hancock and took a break. Only problem was that I had to ride almost 2 miles up a hill (off course) to the I-10 exit to find a gas station and food. I ate a big sandwich and had a large coffee. It thawed me out. I also bought PayDay Pro and Snickers Marathon Energy bars for the road ahead. I had not seen either of these before and knew Ron Clanton would be jealous of the "Pro" version of his favorite ride energy food - mini-PayDays. Between the 2 bars, they packed 25 grams of protein - now that's a lot. Off I went into the wind and was already thinking of shortening my ride based on the fatigue after just 28 miles. I pressed on knowing Jim P would comment if I did not do at least 80 miles. I rode through McNary and Esperanza which were right on the Mexican border. Several Border Patrol officers stopped and talked to me as they were looking for someone about my size except they said my farmer's tan was darker than the guy they wanted so they let me go. So far, all I saw was the beautiful Mexican mountains and one cotton farm after another. From there, I ate my PayDay Pro in anticipation of having to climb another mountain pass (see earlier post with picture). I rolled onto I-10 which was really nice with wide shoulders and a smooth surface. I was at the 50 mile mark of my ride. Once on the interstate, I climbed up a long slow grade through the mountain pass for about 15 miles which was not all that bad. Once through the pass, there was a Border Patrol checkpoint which I rolled through without an incident. I stopped to wolf down the Snickers Marathon bar and a GU Energy Gel to fuel me for the last 30 miles. The speed limit is actually 80 MPH on I-10 and I was catching a good draft from the trucks as they flew past me at 85 MPH. Don't worry Mom, there was at least 8-10 ft between them and me. I put the dented Mean Green Machine in a big gear and rode hard for the last 30 miles that were mostly downhill into Van Horn. After a long hot shower at the Super-8, I biked down the road to a local steak house where I destroyed their salad bar and had a nice steak, baked potato, and a couple of drafts to prep me for tomorrow.

Tomorrow will likely be just as difficult (if not more) as I will attack the final mountain pass (over 6,000 ft) of the trek. In addition, the ride will be over 90 miles. The forecast is for more stiff Westerly winds at 15-25 MPH - yuk yuk yuk.

Good night.

Weather: Overcast, cold, and windy early. After lunch, the sun came out and the winds backed down some. I wore my jacket for half the day.

Performance Metrics:

Miles: 100 Trip: 1,021 - my first Century
Total travel time: 9:15 Trip: 104:50
Bike Riding time: 7:25 Trip: 81:56
Avg speed: 13.43 Trip: 12.74
Max speed: 28.03 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 1,355 Trip: 29,786
Avg pedal RPMs: 91 Trip: 86
Avg heart rate: 122 Trip: 118
Max heart rate: 142 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 5,591 Trip: 60,335

Weather Statistics:

High temp 58 Trip: 75
Low temp: 42 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 8
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 1
Wind factor: Major against
Total good wind days: 5
Total bad wind days: 9

Misc. Stats:

Flat tires: 0 Trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Super-8
Total hotel nights: 13
Total camping nights: 1
Cups of coffee: 3 Trip: 42
Pints: 2 Trip: 24

Mood rating (1-10): 9 - tough day in the beginning but after the "Pro PayDay" it all got better. One more mountain climb left which is tomorrow. .