San Diego, California to El Centro, California
126 miles
7,700 ft. climbing
Riding time: 9 hours
A very tough day of riding for the first day of the tour. But it wasn't the long miles or the climbing that was the toughest part. Without a doubt, the toughest part was the stretch of desert that we had to ride from mile 92 to mile 115 that nearly did us in. Here's how it all went down:
After a hearty PAC Tour breakfast, we started riding at 6:50 a.m. The morning temp was a pleasant 68 degrees when we left the Best Western and headed out of the city of San Diego. Our route would take us up and over several mountain passes as we climbed our way out of San Diego. While we were gaining elevation, the temperature stayed comfortably mild - warm and sunny, but not too hot. We had some really pretty views to look at as we rode. Many of us rode in small groups, which made it more fun. By mile 42, we had over 4,800 feet of climbing under our belts. Aside from the typical fatigue in my legs, overall, I was feeling pretty good. I was drinking my Gatorade and popping electrolyte caplets every hour - just as we were advised by Lon and Susan. (When riding in dry, hot conditions, not only is it important to hydrate well, but it is equally as important to maintain your sodium level, which, if depleted, will cause you to "bonk.") At each rest stop, we'd fill up our water bottles and have a snack to maintain our energy. By mile 75, when we had our lunch stop, we were pretty much done with all the big climbs. In fact, after lunch, we had one small climb, and then a nice, long 10-mile downhill from mile 82 to mile 92. From there, it would be flat terrain the rest of the way to El Centro. Needless to say, we were all really looking forward to that descent. And it was certainly a fun descent - we were flying, reaching speeds of over 40 m.p.h. But, as as we lost elevation, I could feel the air gradually get warmer and warmer, and then hotter and hotter. It felt like someone had turned on the furnace. By the time we hit the end of the climb, the temp was well over 100 degrees. From this point, we had to ride through the Yuma Desert. It was hot, dry and desolate (as deserts usually are). No shade, no cloud cover, and the sun was blaring down on us. The Gatorade and water I had in my water bottles became warm, despite the all ice I had added. I have never ridden in such intense heat. I thought I was toast - burnt toast. The heat played tricks on my mind. I actually hallucinated a bucket of ice cold Diet Coke sitting on the side of the road in the distance, which would move farther away as I got closer to it (it was a mean-spirited hallucination). Thankfully, the heat was not kicking Art's butt the way it was kicking mine, so he was sort of my inspiration to keep the pedals going; "the wind beneath my wheels," so to speak. (When I told him this after the ride, his comment was, "Well, I'm very glad I didn't have to just leave you there." Funny guy, huh?) Finally, and just in time, we arrived at our last rest stop of the day (which I almost didn't stop at because I thought it was just another hallucination). An oasis! At the rest stop, I drank about half a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke, replenished my water bottles with ice-cold Gatorade and water, and had a few salty snacks. We also sat there for about 15 minutes in the shade just to cool down and rest. After that, I was a new woman! I felt great again and was able to finish the remaining 13 miles to our hotel in El Centro strong.
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| Art - ready to start the ride. |
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| Me - ready to follow Art and draft off of him all day. |
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| Welcome to the desert. (That's Lon Haldeman manning the rest stop right before the 23-mile slog through the desert.) |
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