Saturday/Sunday

Saturday Morning

Low cloud ceiling,

North Wind, 9 degrees

Well, well, well…small mercies. Yes it rained overnight, but everyone is very happy. Why?

Tailwind!

It’s 7:20am, and we’ve just finished shooting Team 5 as they pedal through the early stages of Wyoming. The transition from team 4 to 5 was right at the Montana/Wyoming border at 6am. Marilyn and I missed the transition by about 15 minutes because Teams 3 and 4 both put in some great numbers. We had left Miles City Montana just after 4 and drove hard for two hours before we caught up with the pack. Most of our drive was through a heavy mist that was bordering on rain. It did not bode well for the riders, but when we caught up with Team 5 at the transition, they said they only got a little of it. Right now there’s a grey mist hanging over the hills of Wyoming, but wind is kind, and the pavement is new and fresh. The guys on the road are having a great time!

11:45

As Team 5 concludes this part of their journey, they’ve left one behind for the final hour. Norbert Hollman took a spill as he left the parking lot of the town park in Gillette WY. The team had just taken a well deserved break and were just leaving the park when Norbert turned too sharply and did a classic face plant. There was some concern at first, because he hit the pavement pretty hard. Triage at the Campbell County Memorial Hospital resulted in a couple of stitches to the cheek. Norbert’s reaction – mad at himself for letting it happen and determined to get back on the bike as soon as he possibly can. Once again, Mike Eby and the medical crew were there when it mattered to take care of the situation.

2:00

Back on the road, on the way to Douglas, WY. The clouds envelope the sky, but there’s no sign of rain in the air. The warmest it’s been today was at 6 this morning when it got up to around 10. It dropped as low as 5, but is holding right now at about 8 degrees. So we’ll have to wait a little while before we get out of the woolies.

Norbert was in the Medical Centre for about an hour getting stitched up. The rest of the team finished the ride then doubled back to pick him up. We were all there when he came out of Emergency, with 9 stitches to the left of his right eye. “You should have seen the other guy” was how he greeted us. It appears from talking to his team mates that he flatted just before he turned out, and that caused his front wheel to slide out. He’s planning on being back on the bike tomorrow.

The nurse who took care of him is from Milk River, AB! She was very appreciative of what the CTAPP riders are doing, and asked me to send along her support.

Sunday Morning

Sun breaking through clouds

Calm, 4

Every morning we wake up, look at the sky and say…maybe today will be the day it changes. But this place is like Alberta – wait 15 minutes and it will be different.

Team 1 had cool temperatures, but fantastic tail winds and did over 140 kilometres yesterday afternoon, ending up in the small but interesting town of Douglas. Railway museum, home of the State Fair.. and the most confusing directions thus far. We were supposed to take a service road, but ended up on the Interstate for about an hour of treacherous riding.

The weather took a surprising turn around 5 in the afternoon. About the time the course switched from due south to due east, the wind shifted from north to west. That was the good part. The other side of it – it started to rain in the parking lot just as the riders were suiting up, and to coin Peter Tryon’s phrase, started to “blow like a bastard”. The wind was so brisk that for the first 2 hours or so (I chose the worst weather to ride with these guys), we really didn’t have to pedal, and had to use our brakes to keep the speeds under 35km/h. It was full rain, pitch dark, but the wind at the back made it bearable. I stayed with the guys until about 8:30 when I got back in the truck to take shots.

The experience of riding in the rain in the dark (and I think all teams have had to do it by now) was scary. You can’t let down your guard for even a second – and you’re on high alert for the full six hours. The riders are totally reliant on each other – a piece of debris on the road is called out from front to back “ wood, on the left” is the call that would guide the bikers to the right side of the shoulder to avoid one of the common obstacles – pieces of 2x4, shredded tires from the big rigs, dead rabbits, raccoons, porcupines, deer and elk. And bungee cords. Lots and lots of bungee cords. I swear I could open a store and just stock it with bungee cords picked up from the side of the highway.

This morning I’m writing this from the Outpost Trucker’s Stop in Lusk, MT. Americana exposed. It’s hunting season and the boys are filling up on the “Trucker’s Special” – 2 biscuits with ham, 2 bacon or polish or Cajun sausage topped with 2 eggs and sausage gravy - $5.25.

Ummm…sausage gravy. Is there anything more healthy??