Day 14

                                                                         Day 14
                                                       Dodge City, KS to Great Bend, KS
                                                                       89 miles
     Upon awakening this morning, we all had only one thought on our minds, "To get out of Dodge".  Nothing wrong with Dodge, we just wanted to get the hell out of there.  So after a fortifying breakfast of reconstituted scrambled eggs, biscuits, danish and fruit, we set off.   Knowing that I'd be dealing with headwinds the entire day, I had hoped to ride with at least a few riders to help battle the winds.  Unfortunately because I dawdled , I was about 3 minutes behind most of the riders.  I know this doesn't seem like much, but in biking time, especially with headwinds, this can sometimes be insurmountable.  Fortunately, because I was able to hit the stoplights at just the right moments, and the bigger group didn't, I was able to catch up.  However, I abandoned them a mile later to go out to a "scenic overlook".  This particular one was of the National Beef Packing Company, where 4000 cattle are "processed" daily.  This is apparently the second largest in the world.  Who would have thought?
     As a reward for my curiosity with matters pertaining to meat, I was treated to headwinds for the next 35 miles that I had to battle solo.  On the way I saw beautiful farmland, heard the chirping of the meadowlarks, and got to race a train.  (The train won).  I caught up with the group at the first rest stop in the town of Kinsley.  This is the exact geographic midpoint between San Francisco and NYC.  There I again raced a train.  Afterwards I joined the others for the next 50 miles in a paceline for the rest of the day.  In a paceline, you line up directly behind the rider in front of you, trying to keep your front wheel close to the rider's rear wheel in front of you.  After a specified period of time, in this case 100 pedal strokes, the person in front, would move to his left, pedal slower, and eventually join in at the rear.  This way, the person in front bears the load of pulling but just for 100 pedal strokes, while the rest of the pack recovers in the line behind him until it is their turn.  The advantage of this is huge, especially when you are dealing with a headwind.  Enormous amounts of energy can be saved, and therefore the speeds can be considerably higher than a solo effort.  The disadvantage is the higher potential for a mishap when riding in such close proximity to others.  You really must stay focused to do this, in particular on the person's wheel ahead of you.  It's fun but stressful too, especially when riding with people that aren't use to doing this.  Manny, our seasoned bike racer, took charge, and instructed everyone on the "rules" of doing this.  He would yell out things like, "Don't surge when you get to the front", "Tighten up that line",  "Keep your pedals moving at all times", "Good job guys, only 9 more rotations and we'll be there", "We're an unstoppable force and no one can stop us".   He was a slavemaster.  We called him, "Coach". 
     We stopped at Pawnee Rock, which is an elevated "rock" in the town of Pawnee Rock, to see the vista.  It really stands out amongst the flat farmland in these parts.  I can see why people wanted to climb up here to get a good view.  On the way down, 'Buckeye' Bob asked for me to take his picture in front of an even older bike than he has.  He rides a 20 year old Cannondale, with the original seat likely destined for the Smithsonian,  complete with a small trunk mounted on a frame over his rear wheel.  Honestly , the bike weighs about 10 pounds more than any other bike here.  The other day, he noticed a "creak" coming from his handelbars.  After stopping, he lifted up the bars and the original quill stem snapped off.  Now most other riders, possibly ALL other riders, would have just gotten a new stem.  Not Bob.  He ended up going to a welding shop in town and got it welded. One should not be deceived by his bike.   Bob is an amazing rider.  He's 58 yrs old, rides in sandals with SPD cleats, and can at any moment reach speeds that you don't think are possible.  Anyway, after the picture, the other riders had already left and there was now about 1/4 mile gap between us.  I never thought we'd catch them.  Bob knew we could.  After announcing that this was a good "training wind", Bob took off and I did everything possible to stay behind his wheel.  I did take a pull or two but Bob did the yeoman's share and after giving it everything, we managed to catch up to the rear of the paceline.  It was a great moment.  After that it was on to Great Bend with our first stop in town being Brauns ice cream, where I had the best large Hot Fudge milk shake I've had at least since yesterday.  Then after a brief stop at a local bike store, it was on to our hotel.  There I was able to cap off this fantastic day by sitting in the pool, drinking my Endurox recovery drink, and talking by phone to my family.  This is the life.


-Grinner

Buckeye Bob

Eric 'Manny' Mansfield  (Our coach)

Posing at monument at the top of Pawnee Rock

Racing a train

More Train Racing in Kansas

The View from Pawnee Rock

To the victors go the spoils.  At Brauns Ice Cream in Great Bend

National Beef Processing Plant (4000 cattle "processed" a day)