Day 10: Cody to Sheridan

Today was without question my hardest day ever on a bicycle. Custer might have met his end at the Little Big Horn, but this was the BIG Big Horn! Everyone has been talking about the bighorns since we left Everett. The last bit of yesterday had a "trifecta" of bad conditions: extreme heat, brisk headwinds, and lots of climbing. This morning we had the exact opposite starting out.......cool temperatures, a slight downhill grade, and even an occasional slight tailwind. As an added bonus, the tarmac was nearly perfect for the first 30 miles. So we sailed along quickly and reached the second rest stop, at the foot of the big climb, averaging over 21 mph. It was a seductive start that lulled us into thinking that maybe the day would not be as bad as advertised.

All the way down to the second rest stop, I kept reminding myself that last year I rode up Haleakala on Maui, which rises from sea level to 10,000 feet in just 36 miles. Or that in 2003 I did Mt. Ventoux in the south of France, which ascends 5000 feet in just 13 miles. This couldn't be as bad as those climbs, could it?

It could, and it was. We started up a desolate treeless plain, without a telephone pole, tree or any other vertical frame of reference. The road seemed flat, and although there was a headwind, it seemed like I was going really slowly. My inclinometer told the tale: we were actually on about a 4% grade. After 8 miles, the grade increased to 8%. A mile later, 10%. For the next 10 miles the grade was 10% or more, including one half mile stretch of an agonizing 14%. I looked down at my speedometer at that point and I was only going 3.8 mph. After 4000 feet of climbing, I reached the lunch stop, a welcome chance to eat and guzzle fluids, as the temperature was in the mid 90's during our ascent. After lunch, there was another 4 miles of 10% grades before a high plateau was reached. Whereas the western side was brown and not very attractive, the high plateau was gorgeous, with interesting rock formations and lots of trees. Rolling hills for another 10 miles brought us to the summit at 9400'. A nice brisk descent followed, but then there was yet another 1200' hill to conquer, this one a more merciful 5 to 7%. Then I reaped the benefit of all this climbing with a delightful twisting descent with well banked curves that went on for 12 miles. I passed by the edge of a thunderstorm and got a few drops of rain. As I descended, the temperature rose from a very pleasant 82 at the high plateau back to the 100's. Because of the thunderstorm, the air was muggy, so it was like riding in a sauna. The signs in the towns I rode through in the last 20 miles said the temp was 107. The last 7 miles into Sheridan were on I-90. I don't think I have ever been so hot in my life. I pulled in to the motel about 4:45 after 9 hours in the saddle. Despite my incredibly slow progress up the mountain, I still managed to average 16.4 mph for the day. As of 7 p.m. some riders still haven't made it in yet.

It would be fine with me if I don't see another 14% grade for a while. For somebody like me that weighs 200 lbs., it comes down to basic physics. Little riders have a lot less mass to haul up such steep slopes. Tomorrow we have a lighter day, riding from Sheridan to Gillette on backroads. Then on Thursday, we have another brutal day through the Black Hills of South Dakota. I will sleep well tonight.

148 miles. 7500 vertical feet