113 miles, 3051 feet climbed
The first 30 miles or so of today’s ride were again on I-10, with plenty wide shoulders and the usual truck tire shrapnel to dodge. Then we veered northeast on Hwy 60 towards Wickenburg. Hwy 60 has the occasional turn but is mostly dead straight, with much less traffic than the Interstate.
For the most part the winds were in our faces or coming from an angle opposite to our direction of travel (“quartering” headwinds). Given the mild weather we’ve enjoyed so far, I won’t complain too much.
And we have good news on the flat front. The final bit of metal shard poked its way into the tube and gave me a slow leak with about 15 miles to go. Kyu helped me dig it out. Cross your fingers. In 2004 I made it from Oregon to New Hampshire with only a tire that went flat overnight in the hotel room. Given the increasing amount of debris on our roadways, I fully expect more to come, just not from the same tiny piece of metal.
The last 5 miles or so was a nice consistent downhill, finally some relief from the headwinds.
