I wasn't sure how I would feel this morning after abusing myself so hard yesterday. We were pressed for time last night - arriving late, visiting the medic, showering and finding dinner in town. We were dead exhausted by the time we crashed into bed. I slept hard for at least 4 hours before I had to get up and - you know. The sky was full of stars. It was too cold to hang out and take them all in, but it does make the trip to the port-a-potty more enjoyable. My chest was loosening up and it felt OK. I went back to sleep knowing today would be a better day.
Today was my test ride day. I had picked up a 49cm S-Works Roubaix last night (they didn't have an S-Works Ruby in my size). That bike is so light! It's close in weight to my Cannondale, maybe lighter because it has Dura Ace components. compared to the loaded rig (which isn't a light bike to begin with) that I've been riding, it felt like a rocket!
Today's route was short and mostly down hill. There were a few short, easy climbs. The wind picked up toward the late morning and was in our face (of course), but it was a perfect recovery ride.
Since the route was so short, we were encouraged to hang around Steamboat Springs for a while so as not to beat the Sherpa or baggage trucks to Craig. And there's nothing to do in Craig.
It was chilly this morning too, though not as cold as yesterday, and I didn't have the luggage capacity on the demo bike to pack the layers as we peeled them off. So we dressed light and shivered into town for breakfast at Winona's.
The sun was warm when we got onto the course, but the air was still pleasantly cool for most of the ride. It was an uneventful ride. Not much scenery. No significant climbs. I had fun with the demo bike and swapped bikes with Lisa for a few miles so she could try it. I like the Ruby, BTW, it's a very comfortable riding position.
We got to Craig with a whole day ahead of us. Plenty of time to reorganize the luggage, write 2 days of blogs and grab dinner in town. The sun is going down now and it's getting chilly. It should be a little warmer than last night... hopefully... the port-a-potties are a mighty hike from Sherpaville.Tomorrow will be another long day - 90 miles and 4,400 of climbing. You might not hear from us til Wednesday.
