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The Great Plains begin:   Pictures

4/6/2013

7 Comments

 
Pueblo to Eads

It was really difficult getting going today after a day off. I didn't want to get out of bed. It was super comfy and I must have pressed snooze for nearly 2 hours from 7am. Once I did finally get out though it felt good to be moving again. 

I hit the road at 9.30am, which is too late when you plan on riding all day.  I could have covered 40/50 miles in those missed 2.5 hours. 

It was already 33 degrees C by the time i set off so it was clearly going to be a very hot day. The climate was noticeably much more humid too. 

I was quickly out of Pueblo, a town of about 80,000 people. The pattern for the day, and probably the next few weeks emerged. Flat, straight roads with little undulation and few things to look at on the horizon. There were lots of interesting clouds about and I was keeping an eye out for any big cumulo nimbus formations. 

It's hard to easily and accurately describe the vast emptiness here. Probably the best way to put it would be to imagine the Arsenal trophy cabinet then your getting closer. 

There was a slight wind today which varied from a tailwind to side on. I was never riding against it which was a big bonus. 

The hardest aspect today was the temperature. By 11am my gps was saying 35C and it didn't drop below that until about 5pm. The max temperature my gps hit was 40.6C!! But I guess it averaged out at 37C. When the wind picked up mid day it felt like a giant hair-dryer. Such hot air blasting was quite suffocating. The higher altitude thin air is gone but it seems the hot and humid air here is going to be tough going too. 

The plains are definitely the place for music when you ride. There wasn't a huge amount of traffic and you can normally see anything coming ages before it reaches you. It really helped to break up the monotony. 

It was quite strange passing through the various communities today. Most of the amenities in each town were closed down and the places felt like ghost towns. 

It was touch and go getting food and water in time because of this but I managed, just. I will definitely take extra in the coming days. 

I think I have turned myself into a cycling machine! Despite the heat all day, in 9 hours I covered 114.25 miles. It wasn't easy but my legs seen to have coped. It was difficult taking in enough water but I don't think I got too dehydrated. 



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7 Comments
studydog
3/6/2013 09:09:08 pm

something has gone funny with your text. On a normal view we can only see the times, (7.30 a, 9.30 am) in yellow or white on the black screen. On my phone and ipad I can switch it to Reader and see the whole blog. But its invisible otherwise. Can understand your're being down after the Rockies. We all shared you awesome experience.

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Ben Bennett
3/6/2013 11:24:51 pm

Thanks. I know. There is an issue and I'm waiting for weebly to tell me how to fix it. I know the words are there but wrong colour or something. Thanks for saying the tips on how to read it in mean time until they fix it. :) there is nothing I can do from my phone.

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studydog
3/6/2013 09:10:19 pm

I can read it by selecting it-- is it black on black?

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Ben Bennett
3/6/2013 11:25:28 pm

Thanks for the tips for others to read it :)

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cara
4/6/2013 07:12:47 am

I was able to read it fine. Congrats on finishing the mountains. Good luck with the next stretch.

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Ben Bennett
4/6/2013 08:03:27 am

Should all be fixed. It always worked on mobile view though. Thanks :) x

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asweetlaura link
28/10/2013 03:59:20 pm

I created a weebly blog after seeing how simple it looked.

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