Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, AZ
115 mi, 3,685ft gain, 70-90F & windy
Longest ride of the tour today! I was nervous for the length and conditions. Having to ride on I10 shoulder was a concern of mine. When we started riding the wind was a headwind and slightly from the left. It would push you so hard at times, it made bike handling challenging. Eventually the wind turned into more headwind.. and once we got off the highway on the 60 to Wickenburg it got a little better. About another 30 miles of side headwind on that. Very strange wind gusts when the oncoming trucks past us. Almost felt like the semi’s deflected the wind back at us. It caused us to swerve almost each time.
Around mile 65 of the 115, the wind changed in our favor. We had a tailwind from then on. Once we hit mile 104, we had a downhill for 10 miles that was lovely. The group did amazing, hardly any complaints, mostly determination.
The road surface of the 60 had challenging areas that felt too rough to ride the shoulder. I chose to ride the line for the smoothest way possible. Every now and then I’d ride onto the shoulder if I heard a large truck. Worked out well, cars were very cautious of us.
I got my third flat, a front flat from a tire wire on the highway. Luckily the van was passing near by so I was able to use the pump! I believe the group had about 5 total flats today maybe? One tire sliced about a mile from the hotel oddly. I thought we would get more on the 60, but hardly any!
We got to bike over the Colorado River and I felt like I was riding home! At one point there was a sign that said Phoenix 125 miles.. so close.
I would love to go more into detail, but honestly I’m tired. Here’s some photos instead, hopefully they give you a good feel of the day.
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