93.3 miles, 4831 feet climbed
Plenty of climbing today beginning right out of the Casino Resort to hop on I-8 for about 3 miles. Then we exited on to Old Hwy 80 for about 40 miles, going through Guatay and Pine Valley then over to the south side of I-8. When the time was right we turned north on some pretty broken pavement to get to El Centro. While our tour leader, Dennis, worked out a room snafu, some of us consumed recovery milkshakes from In and Out.
You might think riding on the Interstate is treacherous. Actually, the Interstates are designed with very wide shoulders–8 to 10 feet wide. And, when traffic permits, most big-rig trucks switch to the fast lane to give us even more room. In my experience the problem for cyclists is the truck tire debris on the shoulders. It leaves tiny wires from the shredded steel belts that are impossible to see to avoid; they eventually work their way through our tires and cause slow leaks.
I did get a flat today, but it was from a nail. Ironically I discovered it just after I stopped to help some other riders fix a flat.
