Day 4: Short report tonight from Argentina. Massive long day. Longest ride of my life. Absolutely no time for photos. Biggest challenge was trying and succeeding to stay on the pace line. In the morning the line was 15 people. By the afternoon our line was 9. Shout out to all of them. They say a pace line acts like an accordion. Stretching out and condensing fluctuating between very challenging and easy. Searching for the easy parts.
Great hotel and dinner. Very early start tomorrow morning and another 150 plus mile day. One pedal stroke at a time.
In keeping with my usual tradition I had a small spill today. Just enough cuts on my face to scare all the little kids the rest of the week.
I think tomorrow’s ride is the hardest one. Wish us all luck.
Day 5: Hard to top yesterday. Another grueling day for the Alpha Team in Argentina. Excellent idea to do this in the heart of the summer here in South America. Close to 100 degrees today with the strongest head winds you could imagine. Incredibly difficult start. In fact from mile 30-35 today both Mike and I were ready to get a ride back. Of course we didn’t and latched onto a pace line and worked through it all.
Mike is always kind to me and was sensitive to the pain I had from my fall yesterday. While my face looked horrible it really was my neck and several ribs that caused the most pain. Luckily only when I pedaled.
Slipped out to a clinic last night to get checked over and was amazed at the service I received and the promptness. Of course the flip side of that is that if I needed further care the closest hospital is three and a half hours away.
Saw a group of 5 dogs crossing the road and I looked over at Mike and we both laughed as they all used the crosswalk and appeared to look both ways. Also tens of thousands of acres of farmland with the most popular crops being maize and sunflowers. Will try to grab some pictures tomorrow.
Tomorrow looks like another tough one. Let’s hope the winds are kind.
The more I get to know the people the easier it is to pick out who’s company I enjoy. The list gets smaller everyday. Meanwhile the directing company has improved slightly the meal selection. I am clearly the squeaky wheel there. Very few Christmas cards from the staff this year.
Trying to promote our Hudson Valley Detour program. Seems like great interest.
Four more days to go. Home stretch.
