DAY 22: COLORADO! ‘Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more’

198 km (123 miles) - total: 3217 km (1998 miles)

Garden City, Ks to La Junta, Co

What a day. I cannot believe I am now sitting on the bed in my motel room, writing the journal and almost laughing about it.
I don't even know where to begin. Everything happened today. The wind, I entered Colorado, my 6th state, I had my first flat tire, I took my first tumble (nothing serious, due to the wind), I entered the Mountain time zone (-2 hours from DC), I got stung by a bee, I broke my sunglasses, a bowling player gave me a lift for 8 miles before it got dark and I almost racked up 200 km. More? Despite the bad day I will come back for more in a few hours and tomorrow night I will be at foothills of the Rocky Mountains, eager to attack the Monarch Pass, 11312 ft - 3448 mt. I never thought I would make it this far this quickly. I am doing this trip on a clock so I knew that I could squeeze only a certain number of miles in before my deadline. But here I am in Colorado only 80 miles from the Rocky Mountains, I have 3200 km in my legs and I feel fine and I cannot wait to see the Rockies tomorrow. Even though I have begun a slow and steady ascent, today I was still riding on relatively flat terrain. La Junta is at 4066ft, which is the highest I have been so far on my trip. They all say that Kansas is flat but it actually isn't and that becomes apparent when you are cycling through it.

Today I knew I had a long day ahead and when I checked the weather report last night I thought I was doomed! It forecasted strong winds from southeast of 25-30 mph, which in other words meant almost unrideable. So I was up early trying to get a head start on the wind. I was up and it was still dark outside and I left Garden City with the first rays of sunshine streaking through the houses. Despite the early start, the wind was blowing strong already. I said to myself "stick to 20 km per hour and you'll get there in 10 hours, maybe 11 with the breaks". Easier said than done. I got through the first 60km ok but then a bit of tiredness set in, I dropped my guard and things began to happen. While riding along the highway my front wheel began to rock and when I touched it it was almost flat. I immediately got to work to change it. The road I was cycling on had no shoulder which meant I changed the tire almost on the grass lining the highway. I was in the middle of nowhere between villages. There was no service area or gas station nearby so I had no choice. The wind was so strong that it took me one hour to change the flat! I had two spare tubes and applying too much pressure with my hands I accidentally ripped the first one trying to get air into it. In a state of panic, getting increasingly tired and fighting to keep the bike standing upside down as the wind was constantly tipping it to the side, with a lot care I somehow managed to put on my second and last inner tube. Throughout the whole process, I kept the bicycle still between my knees and with my hands I changed the tire. I must have looked ridiculous, in the middle of nowhere, sweating like crazy, all dirty and anxious to get out of there, fixing the bike in the wind by the side of a long and lonely road. It took me a long time to get moving again, my hands and my shorts were all black and oily and I was pretty upset because of the wind that made what should have been an easy job a grueling operation. I soon realized that it was going to be one of those days when nothing goes to plan. When I was dealing with the tire and the wind and I was trying to keep the bicycle standing to put the wheel on, I said to myself: if I can get through this I can get through anything!

I got back on the bike and the wind was so strong that I could not ride straight. I managed to crawl into the next village, something like 5 run-down buildings and tumbleweeds and dust kicked up by gusts of wind and at the grocery store I was informed that today was the windiest day of the month. What a consolation! Probably blowing at 30-35 mph, the lady said. I waited for a few minutes but the clock was ticking and I was back on the road but again I had to stop several times because the wind would take off balance and almost knock me off. By that time my arms were pretty sore for holding on the handlebar so tight. Then the road turned Northwest for a few miles which was a reprieve with only a crosswind now, so I pushed hard and made up for lost time and rode strong to the Colorado sign which gave me a psychological boost. Entering a new time zone gifted me one hour so when I rode into Lamar, I was physically strained but with over 6 hours of daylight to spare my guts told me to carry on. When I left town I bumped into two cyclists, very nice guys, Juan and Pablo, Americans of Mexican origins, traveling from Montrose to New Mexico (is it?). If you are reading this please let me know how the ride went! When I told them that I was on my 22nd day from Washington DC they were really impressed, they said that it usually takes more than a month for riders on the TransAm to get this far. Their kind words were another needed boost to continue into what was becoming a full-on headwind. So I bode farewell and I set my sights on La Junta, still more than 30 miles away. After a few minutes I felt something burning in my shorts and I saw a bee stuck in them. By the time I picked it up it was too late, I had been stung. Just a couple of seconds after that, in a momentary lapse of concentration, a strong gust of wind knocked off my bike and I fell onto my right side, on the grass, causing my glasses to break. I yanked myself up as if there was a crowd of onlookers laughing at my clumsiness. While I was fine from the tumble my inner thigh was numb from the sting. I immediately removed the stinger and it felt absolutely fine in a matter of minutes. So I guess I was lucky. I think that adrenaline also took care of any physical pain. I checked to see if there was any damage to the bicycle and it all seemed in place so I got back on the bike cursing at the winds! By that time I was in open fields with no choice but to carry on. I pushed more and more on the pedals throwing down the gauntlet at the Gods of the winds. My obstinacy to tame the winds did not pay off this time because I was riding into a full headwind blowing with an intensity I had never experienced. I was getting more and more frustrated and to make things worse the sun was beginning to dip lower over the horizon and I didn't like the idea of getting stuck by the side of the road, in the middle of the desert at night with no food and only one waterbottle half-full. I pushed on riding into a strong headwind with gusts of crosswind, how is that possible?? I swear I had never seen such strong gusts of wind which made me stop several times for fear of falling again. The wind was so loud that I could barely hear the passing cars only 3 feet away from me. I got to 8 miles from La Junta pretty tired and increasingly upset. I knew I was gonna make it just before dusk, but it was gonna be very close and it was gonna take every ounce of energy out of me. At that point a truck stopped and the driver asked me if I wanted a lift to town. I got the bike in the back of the truck and rode with him the remaining 8 miles. His name is Jack, he plays bowling and works in a bowling alley. I told him about the Big Lebowsky and he laughed. He dropped me off at the hotel and I checked in way past 7 with a feeble sunlight but I knew I would have made it but those would have been the worst 8 miles of my life! I am glad this day is over! Tomorrow should be a shorter day, only 75 miles to Pueblo. So I can take the bike to the doc, buy some spare inner tubes, get some energy, and get ready for the big climb. Right into the Rockies. No messing about.



High grass bent by the wind


Flat tire


Me and the Colorado sign, a hopeful moment in a very eventful day


Hasty, Post office


The road looking East


With Juan


With Pablo, I hope you guys make it home real soon to see the grandkids!


Kit Carson..right!!


Downtown Lamar


Old locomotive at Lamar


Trees twisting, bending, surrendering to the wind


A house in Coolidge


Coolidge, a hamlet of five buildings


Beautiful Colorado sky