Tour Day 93 Other Cyclists. PANIC! Sept 26 2010

Yesterday had one more trick in store for me. It came at the very end of the day when I went to brush my teeth. Of course. I forgot another toothbrush in another location to far away to go back for. It was really a great way to end a great day.

That being said I have to start each day with a new mindset, and today was no exception. I got out the door and thought that it was going to be a stellar day. I mean it could not continue at this pace forever right. Well I was wrong. I got 5km out the door and knew the day was going to be rough because I was dealing with a crosswind similar to that of the prairies in Canada. At points it got to where I was leaning over into the wind to stay on a steady course. I very quickly readjusted my goals for the days pace and was content with hammering for the entire day.

With the bad there is always a smidgen of good. That came in the for of cool weather. A dense cloud cover made it a comfortable temperature for a change, which made putting out the power a little easier.

Break time came slowly and I was ready to dome some donouts. After getting a few of them down I figured I would check my tire pressure just to see how my luck was holding up. Well it figures my rear tire was flat… again. The rear tire that I got in Venice so only 1600km ago had started to shred from the inside. Thank you tracx tires for being the biggest hunks on the market. So I flagged a car down in the middle of nowhere and asked if he knew where a bike shop was. Fully expecting him to say Austin I was surprised when he said there was one less then a few miles away. After he gave me directions I was set.

When I pulled into this place I doubted my directions because it was an industrial complex with building upon building dedicated to welding. Then on the end was this little bike shop with 3 bikes on the flood and a small service station. Again I fully excepted him to have no stock of good touring tires but low and behold he had a schwable marathon plus (my favourite tie).

It was amazing having that new tire. I rode faster and harder because I now had confidence back in my equipment. I could monster truck things without having to worry about another flat and wasting moments of my life dripping in sweat on the side of the road.

Things were going a lot better. I still had a wind but I was happy for a change. I mean I was on my way to Austin and another 2 days ahead of schedule even with my issues the past few days.

I didn’t think the day could get any better until I turned around. There right behind me were two fellow bike tourists, the first cyclists I have seen in America. Kim and Rob who are riding for the CIA (check them out at pedalingforpatriots.com) hit it off right away. That was probably because I was so lonely having any company for more then 2 minutes is awesome. I just started talking and talking. I was not even paying attention to my speed and where I was at. Our conversations got me to thinking how I missed the days with Charles and Oliver. I got me to thinking how much more fun this trip was when I had people all the time.

By the time we got to there support vehicle it was time to say goodbye. Which again when you meet such awesome people are always hard. That’s exactly the reason why I doddled around for a few minutes just so that I could soak in a little bit more of the atmosphere.

Still though I had to finish the 13 miles into Austin. The last miles were filled with thoughts of change. Change in luck, and change in bike. With me taking the day off tomorrow I was trying to think of ways I could make the last 1600mile sprint into la easier for me. The best way to do so is cut weight. So the whole time I was thinking of things I could ship back home.

Austin came in a jiffy and I made my way to the western edge of town. I had two options the seedy place or the holiday inn. Usually I would choose the seedy place but I figured I needed a treat with me staying the extra day and all. Well wouldn’t you guess it I ran into Rob, Kim, and there support team again. I am a firm believe that the bike touring community is one of fate. I mean this is a city of 500000 people what are the chances of seeing them? What are the chances that they would be staying at the exact same place? Some time fate works in strange ways.

Rob and Kim I have t say thank you because I have been really down the past few days. Your energy has given me that extra drive to push through and complete the trip. I feel like a new man right now… or a less worn out man.

What is making me even more happy is my weight shedding. Gone are a huge amount of clothing, my sleeping mat (I can rough it), stool, seatbag, and a few misc items. Total weight loss 16 pounds. I can’t wait to feel what my bike will feel like with the equivalent of my track race bike missing from it.
Trip Distance: 146km
Ride Time: 7:13hr
Avg. Speed: 20.29km/h
Total Distance: 14150km
Total Ride Time: 654hr
Destination: Austin, Texas