Day 10 Flagstaff, AZ to Holbrook, AZ
94.3 miles
5:39 time,
2,000 feet of climbing (SWAG, computer malfunction)
The wind blew today and blew and blew some more. We had consistent 25 to 35 mile an hour gusts. It was a cross wind, sometimes bordering on a slight headwind and sometimes changing to a slight tailwind. I had my first flat of the tour, actually two of them. That now puts me out of the money on the flat pool. We were on the interstate today. There are lots of shredded truck tires on the outside service lane we use. When a truck shreds it leaves a lot of tiny wires from the steel belt in the roadway. The bike tires pick this up and it causes a flat. I had two punctures from wires and had to pull the wire out of my teeth. Don’t be too impressed, it didn’t taste that good and it wasn’t pretty.
Well not a lot to take pictures of today. I could’ve taken a lot of pictures and they would all have been the same. We were on historic Route 66 today. Also, stood for a little while on the corner of Winslow, AZ. Indeed there was a girl in a flat bed Ford slowing down to take a look at me, but somehow I think she does that for everyone. Check out the photographs.
I had a little spill going about 15 mph today and it bruised me up a bit. So, if you see blood on my knee in the pics, that’s exactly what it is. Also, the wind blew my bike over at one of the rest stops and broke my carbon handle bars. They must have been defective. I am going to have a new one Fed-Exed to me or is it Kinkoed. Rick, one of the staff members and Jim and Eric all helped me. We used 4 spokes, two hose clamps and 8 pounds of duct tape. Hopefully, it will hold together for two days. Before mending it, it was not rideable, although I was able to limp in. Interestingly, Doc Jim the neuro-otologist, (brain surgeon, no kidding) conducted the surgery, but left after putting on the hose clamps and spokes. He said he never closed an operation. Some habits die hard.
Tomorrow, hopefully the wind gods are with us. In ten years of touring the staff say they have never seen this kind of weather. We cross into New Mexico tomorrow as we visit our third state.
Signing off…..
