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Judy's Journal

Tour Days 20-29

Here's Judy's journal and her photos from Days 20-29 of her trip -- from Liberal KS to Kirksville MO.  Click on the links below to see her journal entries from other parts of the trip.

Training and Days 1-9         Days 10-19           Days 30-39       Days 40-50

Day 20:  Thursday, June 1st, Guymon, OK to Liberal, KS

Tour Route:  40.2 miles but I rode 40.73 miles as per my bike computer

Easy short day.....but still a headwind!  I sure wish our luck would change where we had a tailwind in KS.  We crossed into KS at about 35 miles.  Went through Hooker, OK but the T-shirts weren't as nice this year so I didn't buy one.  Ate lunch in Tyrone with J. Hall/Elmer & Ty the "talker".  Dinner is on our tonight.  My achilles tendon is smarting.  I need to ice it down.  I have been reading Lance Armstrong's book, "Every Second Counts" that Mack loaned me.  It is a great book.  Went to bed early because tomorrow is a long day.  JudyP-M

Day 21:  Friday, June 2nd, Liberal, KS to Dodge City, KS

Tour Route:  83.2 miles but Judy biked 84.20 miles as per Garmin and bike computer

Total time:  5:55:44

Max Speed:  28.3

Avg Speed:  14.2

The morning started out w/a slight crosswind but it wasn't bad at all.  Our first sag was in Meade where the Dalton Gang Hideout and Museum is located.  Since I had seen it before, I biked on out of the sag after eating some watermelon.  Biked slower because my achilles is still smarting.  I went on to Tim's Diner approx. 60 miles out.  Had a good chef salad and then biked on in to Dodge City.  There was a lot of construction in town and we had to dodge cars and trucks.  I am really going to have to ice down my tendon tonight.  It is not feeling very good.  Talk to you tomorrow.  It is time for route rap.  Gotta quit.  JudyP-M

Day 22, Saturday, June 3rd, Dodge City, KS to Great Bend, KS:

Tour Route:  85.7 mile but according to my bike computer I biked 87.53 miles.

Time:  5:45.59

Mx Spd:  22.0 mph

Avg Spd:  15.2 mph

The day started w/another crosswind out of the south.  Caught up behind Eric Schank, Jim Hall, Elmer & Gil for about 20 miles as they hammered.  It was fun being w/them and listening to the chatter and banter the guys give one another in the pace line.  Their experience riding across the US is certainly different than mine.  They are amusing and down right funny in all the prattle that they talk about.  I wish I were strong enough to bike w/them all the time.  But when I tire out.....I begin my solo trek by myself.  It is not only harder biking into the winds by yourself but after awhile I go nuts just being there by myself.  I keep thinking of positive stuff just to keep my mind off my tendon and my ass!  And I do a lot of praying for others.  It is a good time to be with God on my own.  On this day we came to the midway point across the US if you were coming from San Francisco on the way to New York.  Our midpoint will be Topeka, KS.  Julia, came to that point in the sag van w/Margaret and then got out and we biked together for awhile.  Then she got back in the Sag 5 miles from the hotel.  I keep gutting it out because most of my sponsors are sponsoring me by the mile.  Make to the hotel in one tired piece.  JudyP-M

Day 23, Sunday, June 4th, Great Bend, KS to McPherson, KS:

Tour Route:  62.8 miles but my GPS Garmin said 64.45 miles biked

Max Spd:  21.9 mph

Avg Spd:  12.6 mph

Headwind all day!  TOUGH Day!  I don't have any legs left and I still have another day until rest day.  UGG!  It will be done on sheer GUTS!  JudyP-M

Day 24, Monday, June 5th, McPherson, KS to Abilene, KS:

Tour route:  61.6 miles but by my GPS Garmin I biked 61.93 miles.

Total time:  4:56.43, Max Speed 24.1 mph, AvgSpeed 12.5 mph

Just exactly the kind of day I expected it to be.  Grueling!  We had a tough crosswind 20 miles out of McPherson.  We turned north and for about 10 miles we had a tailwind to the Sag stop.  Then the wind turned again so that it was a headwind going the last 30 miles into Abilene.  I think I am the jinx!  At least it is somewhat better than I remember it in 2003.  I hope by a miracle that our trip into Topeka has a tailwind.  It is hilly and over 103 miles.  Tomorrow is a rest day here in Abilene and I certainly need it.  Fortunately for me Ricky Wardell returned to tour and he was sweeping and pushing me in w/his running commentary.  I watched as he did his revolution exercises on his bike, (first one foot in revolutions for awhile and then the other).  All the time I was just struggling just to keep my legs moving.  I keep asking myself, "Self....are you still having fun?" And I keep reminding myself that I am one of the luckiest women in the world.  I can still do this kind of stuff and I'm getting skinnier a little at a time, (I'm going to have to buy some new bras at Wal-Mart....unfortunately that is where I am losing the weight!)  And....I am earning the money from the sponsors this time!  I am staying on my bike.  Keep me in your prayers that this continues!  See ya next time.  JudyP-M

Day 25:  Rest Day, Tuesday, June 6th, Abilene, KS:

Last night I had dinner w/Margaret Schwartz, Ricky Wardell and Mack McNicholas at some sports bar.  The food was really good.  Afterwards, I came back to the motel and bought myself a strawberry margarity and went to early bed.  Got up and cleaned my bike, emptied out my Gatorade bottles, and drained my camelbak.  Then did washing w/Margaret S. and Jim and Elmer in town.  Came back to the hotel and while Jim is getting a massage, he has loaned me his computer to get my journal and pictures updated.  Tomorrow is a big long day into Topeka.  Not sure that I am looking forward to it but I will again give it all I've got.  JudyP-M

Day 26, Wednesday, June 7th, Abilene, KS to Topeka, KS:

Tour Route:  105.4 miles, but I only biked 58.36 miles; 
Total Time:  4:56.40; Max Spd 24.6 mph; Avg Spd. 11.8 mph (PITIFUL!)

What can I say?  This day was my toughest day by far.  As we left Abilene to Topeka there was a headwind, then came the hills but they never stopped.  Finally the heat kicked in and by the first sag at 35 miles....I knew I wouldn't be able to do the full 105.4 miles.  After stopping at the sag, Russ Fetrow game me a protein booster laced w/Gatorade.  Julia Zahn and Bob Bogle got in the sag but Russ and I kept going.  I finally pulled off the road into the grass and shade and sat down.  Russ stopped w/me.  Then we started again and Ricky Wardell, the Sweep went checking for the Sag Wagon.  Mack Mc came back and at 58 miles, I got in.  I had plenty of company as the day was hard on a lot of us.

For the first time, I was looking around at the KS landscape and thinking how pretty and green it was with the wheat and corn fields and listening to the birds talking to one another.  But that blissfulness lasted for about 10 min.

I was a TOUGH, RUGGED, HOT, WINDY day in my face and the hills were unbelievably incessant and only got worse as the day drug on.  Now that I've had a bath....I'm glad to be at the hotel and have eaten dinner.  Missouri comes tomorrow.  Is it too much to ask for the wind to be kind?  JudyP-M

Day 27:, Thursday, June 8th, Topeka, KS to St. Joseph's, MO:

Tour Route:  85.0 miles, I biked 62.5 miles according to my bike computer
Total Time:  4:27.15, Mx Spd 28.6, Avg Spd 14.0 mph

A much better day.  It was overcast but when the sun finally poked out it got HOT very quickly.  Russ Feltrow and I biked close to one another until the first sag.  Then he blew away from me.  We met up again right before the 2nd Sag at the Dairy Queen.  Bob Bogle caught up w/us and we all sat in the the "cool AC" and had shakes and blizzards.  I biked over the MO river and met Mack at the last Sag.  They had been waiting there for a long time since the "big dogs" had come thru around 10:30.  We're at the hotel and about ready to eat.  I drank a lot more Gatorade today and I didn't feel quite so bad.  So we crossed from Kansas into MO today.  JudyP-M

Day 28, Friday, June 9th, St. Joseph, MO to Chillicothe, MO:

Tour Route:  86.3 miles, but I biked only 55.3 miles.  
Total Time: 4:39.43, 32.0 max mph, 11.8 avg mph.

This was a "fun" day.  We biked out of the hotel early this A.M.  There was another headwind and some hills.  When I got to the store at 16 miles, I got in the sag wagon and went to Maysville w/Mack and others.  This is the town that comes all out for us w/lemonade, cinnamon rolls, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and much more.  The cinnamon rolls were baked by the town's minister and there were caramel buns and cherry buns.  The KeKalb museum houses the highwheeler that was ridden by the first biker to ride across the US.  Had my picture taken with it.  Then we sagged to the next sag and Julia and I got out and rode to town where I got a huge hamburger to eat.  We then left the restaurant and rode to the monument that is on the outskirts of town that reads, "Happy are those that dream dreams and are willing to pay the price to make them come true".  The monument was built to honor Jerry Litton who was a Congressman from Lock Springs.  Then Julia and I biked on.  It was very hilly and Julia walked her bike up several of them.  Finally she wanted to stop and I called Tracy to come pick Julia up and I biked on.  She sat down under a shade tree.  I rode the rest of the way in and it was very tough and windy.  Mack came by and poured cold water down my back.  I was glad to finish. We had a catered barbecue chicken dinner and then I went to bed early.  JudyP-M

Day 29, Saturday, June 10, Chillicothe, MO to Kirksville, MO:

Tour Route:  74.6 miles but I only did 32.8 miles; 
Total time:  3:00.52, 29.9 max spd, 10.9 mph avg speed

This was another monster hilly day.  I started out from the hotel but I have lost my focus.  I got in the Sag again.  Actually, I am having a lot of trouble w/saddle sores in the wrong place.  I got out and biked the hills but was just not having any fun and w/the sores in the wrong place....I just can't gut it out.  Eric got in the sag and I thoroughly enjoy his humor.  He reminds me so much of my son, Scott.  Some of the funniest things comes out of his mouth.  But, I didn't come on the tour to listen to talk....tomorrow I will get back in the groove.  Not sure what my total problem is.  I am tired and not bouncing back.  JudyP-M

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