October 7th
135km
Ben, the tour leader, got really sick last night so he is going to stay in Hami for a few nights and then take a bus to meet us at our next rest day. We've still got Miles and Shanny to run things, and Dr. Joan too.
More strong headwinds this morning. It took us 5 hours to ride 75km to lunch. Its starting to get old: grinding our way into brutal wind across a boring, flat desert. Wind makes such a huge difference – both physically and psychologically. With a headwind, we ride at 15km/h. With no wind, its 25km/h and with a tailwind, its 35km/h. On a 135km day, that translates into 9 hours, 5.4 hours, or just 3.9 hours of pedaling.
The trip is starting to feel like a dying relationship – you go through the motions everyday, but your not having as much fun as you used to. I think about home a lot, about where I'll live, about starting work, about all the things I'll do when I get back. I seem to live from rest day to rest day, looking forward to getting online and buying snacks in supermarkets more than the rides themselves. I know that after a few weeks at home I'll wish I was back out here on a bike...but not in this stretch of the desert!
The afternoon was better, as the wind died down. Several of the riders today were drafting closely behind trucks (or holding onto the trucks!) to avoid the wind. That's not safe at all, and they were told as much.
Nothing to see but flat desert:
The flags are blowing left...we were riding right:
Local telephone worker in the middle of nowhere:
Tonight's camp:
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