Day 5: Thompson Falls to Missoula

Today was great, in a word. I had my strongest ride so far, and I felt like I could easily have gone another 50 miles when I got to Missoula. The searing heat, which had been our steady companion ever since Stevens Pass, took a day off today. The temperature was about 68 when we started and was still in the 70's by lunchtime. It eventually went up to 90 but by that time I was done riding for the day. Intermittent thunderstorms were predicted for both yesterday and today, so I carried my rain jacket in one of my jersey pockets as a talisman against getting wet. It worked. So I'll carry the jacket again tomorrow.

The scenery today was not as breathtakingly beautiful as yesterday, but the first half of the ride was very nice as we pedalled along the Clark Fork river, then turned south through a pretty canyon to the little town of St. Regis, which is on I-90. Several places along this first part looked like they could be movie sets for "A River Runs Through It".......I kept looking for Brad Pitt flyfishing on the shore. After St. Regis, we basically rode on I-90, or took a variety of frontage roads all the way to Missoula. I usually dread riding on interstate highways, not so much because of the cars and trucks roaring past, but more because of the debris on the shoulder. One must do a continual slalom to avoid glass, sharp metal objects, etc. But miraculously, the shoulders today were amazingly clean.

Yesterday, for whatever reason, I ended up doing the last 12 miles after lunch by myself, in 95 degree heat into a 10-15 mph headwind. It was not fun. Because the forecast was for more headwinds, I made sure this time that I left with some strong riders. Headwinds are extremely frustrating, because you can put out 20 mph worth of effort but only attain a "ground speed" of 13 mph or so. Aeronautical engineers have figured out that only winds in the 120 degree sector directly behind a cyclist are helpful; everything else is detrimental. So 2/3 of the time, wind is bad.

So I formed a paceline with Peter, a yacht appraiser from Maryland, and Shaun, an English banker, and the Clydesdale, and we roared down the road together. It turned out there was either a slight tailwind, or no wind, most of the day. After 100 miles Shaun couldn't keep up the pace and fell back, and at 115 miles Peter had to slow down. But the clydesdale and I kept up the pace and got to the Motel first, well ahead of the baggage truck. We averaged almost 20 mph over the 136 miles, despite climbing 4000 vertical feet.

Today is the first day that I sense a conditioning effect from all the riding I've done so far. It is as if my body had resigned itself to the fact that it will be called upon to do this daily for some time. I did have some leg cramps in the 105 degree heat going into Wenatchee on day 1, but none since. Muscular soreness has pretty much disappeared. Pactour veterans of the Northern Transcontinental say that if you can make it to Missoula feeling well, then you will do just fine on the remainder of the tour. I hope they're right.

Tomorrow we ride to Butte mainly on backroads, often on route 1 through Drummond, Phillipsburg, and Anaconda. Montana is a huge state; it will take us 5 days to get across it.

136 miles. 4000 vertical feet