Desert dash

So, on my birthday I face the hardest day of the trip. A 169 mile trek thru the Mohave desert from needles to Barstow. Today had all the tough elements to face, the distance, lack of supplies, short sleep, and some extreme heat with no relief.

I started planning on Thursday night, grabbing all my water and food I would need overnight for the marathon ride. I prepared with 4X powerade bottles, 4X 20 oz waters, my 2 bike beater bottles, my 70oz camelbak, 4 clif bars, 4 power gels, combos, and a granola bar. It's a pretty desolate road and you need to be self sufficcient. Altogethr I have food and about 3 gallons of water to survive the rise.

James at my hotel gave me a quick scouting report for te highway. I'll be staying on I-40 for 155 miles, no turns and no sidetracking. I tried to break the route down into 4 quarters o 40 miles: needles to goffs, ludlow, newberry springs, Barstow. Any chance to trailing are as follows: a highway reststop at mile 40, ludlow's gas station at mile 100, an newberry springs at around 130. That's it, there are no other towns, no other stops.

I woke at midnight and was out the door at 12:45am. It's sill about 100 degrees but with no sun, it's as good as it gets. I'm racing to finish iAd soon as possible to avoid the sun, so any breaks are at a minimum. Little do I know that the majority of the first 3 hrs are uphill, a Roth way to start, and for the fort time I can't see the top in the dark.

I make it to the reststop at mile 40 at about 4am, I'm dead tired from running on 3 hrs sleep and the fact that all tits dark and traffi and all activity is at a stand still. I call my dad to see if a hotel is availably in ludlow,, I could try to split the ride up and be more efficient wig my time. There is a hotel, so I plan to stop at the midpoint and continue again once the sum comes down.

But then my caffiene pill kicks in. We're flying thru the desert and back on pace! Co am getting cold though, the temp dips down to around 60 degrees and I'm wet and windy, but moving well. I throw on my long sleeve shirt (fellow biker Oris told me to get a log speed to avoid the sun, "you never see cowboys wearing short sleeves"). His kept me warm from the wind and got me into Ludlow, mile 100 by 8am.

I finally get a chance to refill my bottles with 60 miles to go, as I find out my planned distances are off, but at least I'm prepared for the worsened circumstances. I take B10 minute break to refill and this is the longest break I tKe lalll ride. Glad I did, the sun is climbing and the temp is slowly rising.

With about 50 miles to go, newberry spring sits halfway to Barstow, a great next resting point. When I roll I. About 10am it's up above 90 and I am greeted by a boarded up gas station, thank god I did a full water refill. It's really weighs Dow the bike, but water is my gasoline out on the road. I have no chocice but to push thru. Any time I waste on the road is more time I have to spend in the sun and heat.

In 15 miles I find daggert, another town exit, another boarded up gas station. Ouch, n12 miles to go and temp above 100.

My back tiring is slowly losin air, I stop every 30 min to pimp it up, knowing that a flat would cost me 30 minutes and a lot of heartbreak. The tire holds as I enter Barstow finally around noon!

I find the first hotel and grab a room, inthe AC and shade for the afternoon. Call told , about 160 miles, straight shot with oy the luis stop to resupply. A rough at, and to me that is about he end of the ride. Once I lose this water weigh, my bike should fly thru he lag 2 sAys and 160 miles.

The last awkward momemt is the fact that to save space on the bike for water, I mailed home my unnecessary items, including my tenure and shorts that I wear after I'm off the bike. I grabbed some Chinese and pizza all the while walking around town in bike shorts and a white collar shirt. Classy.

48 hours to go!