Well, hello there Kansas

Just 8 hours ago I was sitting on my bike on a deserted road in the middle of Oklahoma roasting in 97 degree heat, battling a headwind, and dreading the 30 miles I still had to ride. No matter how much food I ate or how much water I drank, nothing was working to pick me up. I was spent. Totally exhausted. It is times like these that I truly love riding my bike. There is no downhill, no tail-wind and zero chance of either shade or cloud cover. It is just you and your bike. The ride pushes you to your mental and physical limits. Your body’s screaming for you to stop. Your brain begins to work just a little bit slow as fatigue sets in, but in the back of your mind you know that no matter how strong the wind, no matter how slow you pedal, each rotation brings you closer to the final goal.

Today I really felt like I was riding across the country. We rode 70 miles on one road due west. While enjoying a wonderful breakfast in Ponca City, we were treated to the knowledge that a local cyclist would be joining us on today’s ride. Chris Mudd is a local rider who just started cycling a few years back. The cycling community is Ponca City is far from thriving, so it was a thrill for both Chris and the entire Bike & Build group to be able to ride together. I was able to ride with Chris for a good part of the morning. We passed the time talking about, surprisingly, bike stuff. The cycling community has really come out to support our trip and it is nice to get some one on one time and hear the different stories that people have an the different paths that brought each of them to this wonderful sport.

Crossing Oklahoma has been a very eye opening experience. When I first saw that we were going to be crossing northern Oklahoma, I just expected to be looking at wheat and corn for 5 straight days. Now, don’t get me wrong, there has been a lot of wheat and corn, but I have been surprised at the variety of Oklahoma’s scenery. Today we passed though huge expanses of farm land, by large lakes, and through the salt plains. Each had its own appeal and distinctive draw. The farm land is incredibly impressive. As we ride our bikes we are surrounded on all sides of these huge expanses of food that will end up in all corners of the United States.

As difficult as today was, I am excited to get up tomorrow and do it all over again. Tomorrow will be long, hot, and windy. I can’t wait.