Ups and Downs on the Road

Day 15 Shiprock, NM to Turley, NM
Mileage 89.5km
Saddle time 3:38
Avg speed 24.6
Max speed 60.6
Total ascent 616
Total descent 393

Day 16 Turley, NM to Chama, NM

Was supposed to be 141km, but I rode only 36km due to illness
Saddle time 1:53
Avg speed 19
Max speed 54.1
Total ascent 374
Total descent 148

 

Well, it was a great day followed by a bit of a disappointing day!  Monday we left Shiprock on a mildly hilly route to Turley, NM, where we got to stay at a beautiful winery!  The scenery was absolutely stunning and we got to take wine tours and have wine tastings – lovely! 

Tough life at the winery

By that evening, though (and unrelated to the wine), my stomach was not doing so hot and I spent a long, sleepless and sick night before deciding not to ride on Day 16.  I was hoping I would maybe start to feel better, so I packed all my cycling clothes in the SAG (Support and Gear truck - with my mom), put my bike on the roof and slept for 2 hours.  By the time the cyclists started pulling into the SAG, I was so anxious to join them.  I was still not feeling very well, and had only eaten a tiny bit, but I thought I would be REALLY disappointed (as a opposed to only PRETTY disappointed) if I didn’t even try to ride.  So, I suited up and headed out with my Dad, Len and Harold. 

 

Gorgeous views during my short attempt at riding today!

The first 20 km, I was feeling OK, but I wasn’t really able to eat anything (only a quarter of a sandwich – not really enough calories for a long distance cycling day!), so by the next SAG  (36km total riding) I was ready to pack it in.  I curled up in the back seat and slept another hour.  When I woke up, I overheard another cyclist say they thought the next 12 miles were downhill (it was an intensely hilly day with a LOT of mileage and my hat goes off to all who completed even stretches of the ride!!), and I thought, “Oh!  Downhill, maybe I could do that!!”  However, they had already packed my bike on a different SAG and that was probably for the best.  While I’m not too sick anymore, I have not been able to eat anything else this afternoon and am currently lying in my tent, considering having some plain rice for supper.  I’m really hoping to be well enough to ride tomorrow – the scenery here is BEAUTIFUL and it is definitely not the same seeing it from a car.  Additionally, I think there is a real sense of camaraderie built among the riders who were able to ride today, and frankly, I’m a bit jealous (what is the tenth commandment?  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s epic climbing day??).  But, I think I made the right choice for today and will play it by ear from here!