Ride stats:
Distance: 92.26 miles
Average Speed: 13.7 mph
Max Speed: 33.5 mph
Time: 6:43’10
At the end of Day 1, I had a phone interview with BeachedMiami.com for a podcast. I would now like to modify a statement that I made. “Riding 75 miles every day isn’t TOO much for someone who rides bike a lot”. What I SHOULD have said was “Riding a ROAD BIKE for 75 miles every day isn’t TOO bad for someone who rides bike a lot… But riding a FULLY LOADED TOURING BIKE through variable terrain, raw sun, and unfavorable winds while constantly having to stop to navigate and refuel by yourself every day is very difficult”. Who was I kidding?
This morning started on a sour note. My sunglasses effortlessly broke in half when I was ready to start.
Leaving DeFuniak Springs was bland. The road looked just like the one heading into town. A Dollar General provided me with access to a Lunchables and some Milo’s Tea. I’m a preacher for rising WITHOUT headphones but today’s ride wasn’t cutting it. I tossed them on and immediately upped my speed. Today’s average speed was over 14mph for most of the day and ended at what I think is one of the higher averages in the last few days. I had one of the best tasting convenience store cookies ever at a Tom Thumb in Crestview.
US-90 was the route for most of the day. Adventure Cycling kicks you off of 90 when you get to the town of Holt and sends you through some back roads. Thanks for nothing guys. My speed dropped and I had to overnavigate an area that has no real pit stops just as an excuse to hit a 7 mile bike path that leads to Milton.if there is ever a next time, I’ll stick to 90.
Milton had an Arby’s where I refilled my bottles with ice and water. Pace was nothing more than a CVS stop. The road into Pensacola reintroduced me to hilly terrain. I hadn’t quite escaped them but they had been few and far in between all day. Pensacola is like a mild version of Tallahassee when it comes to climbs. I ended the day there and stopped at a Days Inn.
The weather report for tomorrow looked like rain and lightning so there is a chance that I may not leave for Alabama in the morning.
In an effort to log what I have encountered in this ride, without being too morbid, I have included a shot of one of the cleanest roadkill armadillos that I have come across. There have been plenty of animals that have ended with Goodyear printed on their faces along my way but ‘dillos have been the most common.
I’d like to thank Kenny H., Jennifer H., Marcus W., and John V. for their donations. All you caring people are making this rough ride much more bearable.
I didn’t stop for too many pictures today. There wasn’t much to capture and I didn’t want to take my brisk speed for granted.
Whoa, what a rural/desolate part of Florida. And that dillo’s chillin’…haha! Great post!
Mario!!!! “That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I’d just run across the great state of Alabama. And that’s what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going”