Nice Day for a Tailwind!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Day 2 - Missoula, Montana to Butte, Montana
135 miles
6,000 ft. of climbing

Tailwind day!  For the first 50 or so miles of today's ride, we had a nice tailwind propelling us toward our destination.  This was especially appreciated because most of today's route consisted of a gradual climb.  We woke up to a damp and chilly morning - temperature in the mid 40s with overcast skies. It had rained during the night, so the roads were wet.  This is fine by me - I'll put up with a little morning road spray to have it rain during the night rather than during the day when we're riding.  Today's route was the exact same route we had done last year when we did the Northern Transcontinental, so many of the sights were familiar to me (especially the Testicle Festival billboard - see photo below).  It was a beautifully scenic ride through the Sapphire Mountains.  After mile 50, however, we made a turn heading south and our great tailwind became a crosswind, which, as most cyclists would agree, operates much like a headwind (i.e., pedal hard, go nowhere).  Once we made another left-hand turn at mile 78 to our lunch stop in Phillipsburg, the cross wind was no longer an issue.  After lunch, we encountered the big climb of the day - a 4-mile climb up to Georgetown Lake.  Georgetown Lake is a gorgeous lake that spans over 3,700 acres.  After the climb, we got to enjoy a wonderful 10-mile gradual descent into the town of Anaconda.  We "snaked" through Anaconda, to our final rest stop of the day at mile 114, where I discovered my front tire was soft and going flat.  I am not a speedy tire changer, so it was good that I discovered the flat at the rest stop, where crew member extraordinaire George graciously gave me a helping hand.  From the last rest stop, we had just 21 more miles to the Super 8 in Butte.  We arrived at the hotel just before 4:30.  After we cleaned our bikes and ourselves, Art & I did our laundry, and then walked across the street to a Mexican restaurant and had a nice dinner.  After two consecutive days of high mileage, my legs (and sit bones) are definitely feeling it.  But I'm feeling strong and having a great time.  Tomorrow - we ride to Ennis, Montana! 

Elevation profile of today's ride

Yup - you read it right. They're also known as "Rocky Mountain Oysters" - a local deep-fried delicacy.

View on the way to the Sapphire Mountain range

Art - looking at the route sheet, about to tell me where to go.

View on the climb up to Georgetown Lake (note the heart-shaped clearing on the mountainside)

Georgetown Lake

Jonathan dropped his chain today in a most intriguing way - a real gordian knot, Australian style (I helped by photographing the masterpiece)

Art demonstrating his herculean strength by picking up the back wheel of his bike (actually, he's checking his rear wheel, which had to be repaired today due to a dry wheel bearing.)