Our ride distance today was 91 miles mostly through a desert landscape. It began with a 20+ mile climb which we started just after sunrise and completed before it got too hot. The remainder of the ride was mostly flat so the heat was not near as much a factor as it was yesterday. I rode with a group of 6-8 people most of whom I also rode with yesterday. We kept about an 18 to 20 mph pace on the flats and made effective use of a pace line for drafting. Remember you can see a map of the actual route on Tweeter @stevexcbiker.
The most distinctive feature of today's ride were the many Joshua trees which dotted the landscape as we approached Victorville. I expect we will see even more of them tomorrow since our destination of 29 Palms is where Joshua Tree National Park is located.
While I again felt strong and had no problem with the pace, several of the nagging aches and pains which bothered me in training have started to re-appear - not a surprise. I added a strained right calf to the issue list by having one of my zero mph falls due to failing to unclip in time when someone stopped abruptly in front of me. (I can stop quickly and unclip quickly - it's just that sometimes I have trouble doing both at the same time - and stopping takes priority.)
All-in-all another great day. I feel very good about my conditioning and riding strength; and there are no show-stoppers on the injury front. Plus I am riding with some very nice and very interesting people.
Steve
Sounds like you are having a great time and it is fun to follow your progress. I have biked into 29 Palms a couple times since it is the end point for the Furnace Creek 508 ride.
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