There's so much to say about today's ride. When you ride 150 miles you go through so many different areas - it's too much to remember. We hit the road at 6:30 this morning and got onto I-80 for 28 miles. I know this sounds crazy, riding on the interstate, but it's really not that bad. Few cars or trucks are out that early, the shoulder is very wide and the road is in good shape. And, it's the ONLY road between here and there, so there aren't any other choices.
We hit the first sag stop at mile 30 where I hooked up with David and Chip. We made really great time as the road headed into some of the unique rock formations that Utah is know for.
I left the 2nd sag with Rich "The Rock" Ruge. Rich lives in upstate NY and is a 4x PacTour veteran. And expert at pacing and long distance, he is steady as a rock and very strong. I rode his wheel all the way to lunch (mile 93), which was in Flaming Gorge.
The major climb of the day began right after lunch. Steep and long with great vistas. Most of the riding today was between 7000 and 8000 ft - a little harder than doing similar climbs at 500-1000 ft like at home. Once at the top of this climb there was a long series or rollers. I saw a deer jump out on the road up ahead and there were many cows on the road in various places.
The final summit for the day was at 8428 ft. The skies were threatening rain, which was in the forecast, but it did stay dry all day. That's the last sag stop of the day - white tent. Following was a long downhill with a couple of surprise rollers before entering the town of Vernal, Utah.
Once in town we went straight to the ice cream shop and had a chocolate shake. This was the longest day so far and possibly the longest for the whole trip.
Evanston, WY to Vernal, UT
Stats:
Day 8 - 149 miles
RT - 8:52
Avg - 16.7
Elevation gain - 9,004 ft.
Weather - Excellent
1 comment:
Great day and great report! You are in the groove :))
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