Yes, I spent most of the day on state highways but the situation was much better than yesterday. The only difficult part was the last 3 miles when we turned left to go to the bridge over the Mississippi River and the crossing into Minnesota, the final state of this trip.
Everything was better about the highway today. Less traffic, more room on the shoulder, and a better road surface. It does not pay to be negative in advance. You would think after a lifetime of experience I would have remembered that life lesson.
Today's ride was 101.6 miles. I felt great until 88 miles, then had a minor energy crash. I stopped for a bathroom break, had a gel, drank half a bottle of Gatorade and Electro Endurance mix and felt better. We had a 2 mile or so hill climb immediately after and after failing to keep up with another rider, I decided to soft pedal it to the top and conserve some energy. I had a V-8 juice after the descent and then felt good for the rest of the day.
The luggage was not here when we arrived so four of us found a wonderful cafe 2 blocks from tonight's lodging. I had a fabulous black bean burrito which surpassed a Chipotle burrito. I bought a dessert for the room and immediately devoured it when arriving back at the motel. I keep telling myself to start cutting back on the caloric intake but after a 102 mile day, it is impossible to restrain oneself!
It may finally rain on our parade tomorrow as thunderstorms and rain are forecast for the morning. But I will wait to see what happens and not worry about it. It will be our last day of riding.
We have the final group dinner tonight and we get to recount our thoughts about the ride. More on that tomorrow.
Day's stats: 101.6 miles; 16.4 mph; 2050 feet climbing.
Highlight of the day: Being surprised by the road today; lunch; speaking in advance for the wonderful feelings of the final banquet tonight.
Have a good last day riding. After 100 mile ride don't worry about eating a little extra calories.
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