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Today's destination!
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110 miles of flat Texas Panhandle riding with a 20 mph tailwind. We took our time, rode at an easy recovery pace, and still got it done in 7:16! A perfect day to 'lose' an hour as we moved into Central Daylight Time, here's how it went:
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Leaving Clovis at dawn
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We rolled out of Clovis a bit after 7am and headed east on Route 70. It was perfect conditions for the last 7 miles of riding in New Mexico. Since the weather forecast called for building tailwinds as the day went on, we headed out at an easy pace.
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Welcome to Texas!
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We hopped on US Route 60 and a half mile later crossed into Texas!
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US 60
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Texas Road Turtle
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US 60 had a bit of construction, but mostly was in great shape; 4 lane divided highway with an ample smooth shoulder.
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Jeff in the wind!
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There was a busy rail line to the right, and many cattle feed yards on both sides of the road. With the wind mostly from behind you really didn't notice the feed yards, but if there was a bit of cross wind, you didn't need to see the feed yards to know they were there!
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First SAG
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The first SAG was at a typical, and lovely, Texas highway roadside picnic area. We were 34 miles into the ride in less than 2 hours. Especially since we rode very a very easy warm-up pace for the first 30 minutes! We took our time at the stop and rolled out near the back of the pack.
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Another flat for Jeff
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Just a few miles from the SAG, Jeff's new rear tire went flat. We got it fixed, but all the group passed us and we were riding the lantern rouge! Many long trains passed by in both directions all day long.
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| Beef! |
The second SAG was at 55 miles at the edge of Hereford, Beef Capital of the World! The pullout was in the parking lot of an abandoned warehouse. Again we rolled out last, next stop lunch!
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| Yes, that's a sweet potato |
Lunch was at mile 73, and featured deli wraps, mozzarella tomato and potato salad, and sweet potato. I was not sure about the sweet potato, but tried it and it was delicious!
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Cheesn' with Tex Randall
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When we rolled into Canyon Texas, we ran into this guy, he's almost as old as me (created in 1959). He was a road side attraction for a curio shop on US 60. Now he had been co-opted by the First United Bank of West Texas!
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Small creek outside Canyon TX
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The terrain finally started to get rolling outside of Canyon. With continued strong winds, the cycling was easy, but it was starting to warm up.
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Nice Quarter Horses!
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Its always nice when the fans come out to support our ride! These beautiful animals were worth a stop to grab a photo!
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Palo Duro Canyon
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After rolling through Palo Duro Canyon (the only climb of the day) we had one more 'hidden' SAG at the base of a microwave relay tower a few hundred yards off route. We were the last riders through, which meant we needed to finish the watermelon (salted thank you) and mint Oreo cookies so the SAG team could pack up!
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Making progress!
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We capped off the day with steaks (not the free 72oz challenge version) at the Big Texan Steak house. Easy to get to, since we are staying at the adjacent Big Texan Motel!
Tomorrow we start at 7:30; 30 minutes later due to the time change and official sunrise time. It should be another recovery day with only 93 miles and strong tail/quartering tailwinds predicted for most the day. Trailer opens at 6:45am, breakfast at 7:00am, load and roll at 7:30am, see you then!
1 comment:
I can't believe the distance gained every time I check in! Great to follow along, thanks for sharing the treasures you see along the way. Enjoy and stay safe!
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