Pactour Day 14 "1/2 way"

Mornings (and evenings) require lots of lotions and potions.  From left, A&D ointment and Desitin cream for evening/night raw bottoms.  Assos Chamois cream for morning raw bottom prevention.  Some special cream for the Turk.  Sunblock.  Moisturizing cream (very dry weather in the Northwest/north.  Born Muscle Up to get the legs ready and smelling and looking like their ready to ride.

JW off today, head still spinning.  Doesn't seem to affect his text messaging somehow.

Pactour Support van.  Responsible for 1st and generally last rest stop.  Notice the Lon made wooden supports for the gatorade and water.  Carries food, soda, 1st aid stuff, ice.

Motel van.  (Lons van)  Generally does 2nd rest stop and _maybe_ later rest stop.  The trailer carries all the luggage each day, as well as our "stash boxes" with any personal supplies we carry.  Also has all the tools for the end of the day, pumps, soda and even carries our cardboard bike boxes across country for packing up the bikes in Virginia.

Lunch Van (Susan's van)  Sets up lunch (and breakfast each day.)  Holds all food, drink, kitchen supplies, etc.

The ride today across the South Dakota plains was not as spectacular as the past 2 days, but still beautiful rolling fields and lots of cows to be seen.

Terri and Will hammer along a beautiful field of Sunflowers.

The steadiest riders on Pactour, Rob Keough and Steve Doyle.  These guys are Australian and 2 of the only riders I've ever know to keep it steady uphill, rather than following the "Hammer and Coast" philosophy most riders deploy breaking up the groups all day.

Since we were in "Beef Country" tonight we ate at a steak house.  Will and Jim had Buffalo Rib Eyes which were fab.  No that's not a real buffalo behind us taking a bite out of JW.  Sorry you can't see more of the Turks calves, they are defining more each day.

Today we rode from Murdo, SD to Mitchell, SD.  145 miles of less climbing, but persistent headwind.  JW felt better, but his head was still spinning so another day off the bike.  We estimated a 20% chance of vomitus, so left him alone with Susan in the lunch van.   No vomiting reported.  

We really are 1/2 way across the US by bike.  This was really nailed home when we crossed the Missouri River late morning (pretty much a 1/2 way point across the US.)  Really interesting was crossing over US 281 which pretty much divides the US and if we had gone South on US 281, after a bunch of days of riding would have arrived right at Bicycle-Heaven!!!

We pretty much rode behind the 2 Aussies you see above all day, to keep it steady.  Everybody seemed a bit tired from the last few days and in a mellow mood.  We all weathered the ride well, Turk sagged in from mile 109 ("100 miles is enough for me!!")   Will and Jim completed the 145 miles, the longest ride of Will's career.  Will commented in the afternoon "you know I've ridden my bike more miles than I've driven a car.  Atta a boy, Will, go green.

2 funny comments today.  A guy on a big motorcycle rolled up next to us early in the day and talked with us a bit.  He meant this as a compliment, but we really enjoyed the irony when the HELMETLESS motorcycle rider told us he thought we were insane riding our bikes across the country.

Earlier Hooker rolled up on us (more later on the Hook, definitely the personality of Pactour)  The Hook is one of the fastest riders on the tour, and also one trying to take it all in the most.  We had started out in groups of 6-8 into a headwind and the Hook started a bit later than the rest, per usual.  As her rolled by he commented to Jim "Damn everybody starts out way too fast, then blew by us off into the distance."  Love the irony.

Funny that of the 40 riders on Pactour, around 20% are "foreign"  We have the 2 Aussies, mentioned above, 1 New Zealander, 1 Swede, 1 Belgian, 1 British and 2 Canadians.  Are the foreigners tougher for signing up, or are Americans smarter for not signing up.

The minivan and vans roll out after the riders each day.  The minivan has the first rest stop, sets out bike racks, food, first aid, fluids and ice.  The Motel van leaves after the bags are all loaded onto it and the morning's bike racks are loaded.  It does the 2nd rest stop and maybe a later rest stop, but generally not.  The lunch van leaves after cleaning up after breakfast and heads for the lunch stop (usually stopping by a scenic area to prep lunch, today the Missouri river.)  Lunch is the 3rd rest stop.  The minivan and motel van leapfrog the riders to their next rest stops, and all vehicles stop at each stop (ie each vehicle drives the entire riding route each day) to report on status and position of riders.  If a rider is falling too far behind, recommendation will be to "bump" up a rest stop to get back on track.  The Motel van is the first van to arrive at the motel each day, gets the room keys ready, sets the riders bags out and sets up bike racks and secures the parking lot for the Lunch van to have a decent location for the following morning's breakfast.

JW is 90% this evening so should be back in the game tomorrow.  We'll see if he does the ride from Mitchell SD to Worthington, MN or not.  It'll be good to have the whole family back on the road again.

Questions have come up about how the Turk got her name.  Lilly, Matt's Daughter, (Terri's partner at Bicycle-Heaven) couldn't say Terri and called her "Turkey" a couple of years ago.  The name sticks, and pretty much anyone associated with B-H calls Terri "Turk."

The theme of the day was "Heroes"  Pericles is credited with saying "What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."  Certainly Lon Haldemen and Susan Notorangelo are "Heroes" to the Slausons and many, many other cyclists.  Really any rider on Pactour is a Hero.  And most of the Bike Industry and people working retail Bike stores are heroes for the positive impact they have on the lives of cyclists.  Enough, I'm about to cry.

Till next time, thanx for reading.