The hotel room window view was again that of the carpark and major road running past the hotel. On opening the curtains at 6am this morning, a grey, overcast sky was visible with little wind. The forecast was for a 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms.
We had breakfast at the hotel which specially laid on a cooked breakfast including pancakes, eggs, sausages, crispy bacon, biscuits & gravy as well as cereals, toast, donuts and bagels etc with coffee and orange juice. We left breakfast well sated.
We wandered around the hotel which again had an indoor pool, spa pool and video games. Patrick was amused by the “No diving” sign on the spa pool!
Rap was outside due to the typical hotel poor lighting inside. With route maps in hand, we loaded our luggage and left the hotel just after 7am with a coolish feeling temperature of 21°C.
Riding out of town through various intersections, we tried to keep on the road shoulder as far right as possible for safety. However, at one point the shoulder just vanished and dropped about 10cm down to the road which tested our bike handling skills and did no favours to our bikes.
The road surfaces again varied with one of the roads being particularly poor where the smoothest ride was on the yellow centre line. By doing this, pot holes were revealed by gaps in the yellow paint. With low traffic volumes on this road, many riders used this technique.
After 25 miles of more rolling country riding, we reached the first sag in the huge town, population 123 per sign (a very precise number and does it include the sign painter and installer?) of Baring. The fallout from the Barings bank collapse was evident with the bank building appearing abandoned. One of the riders went to the only store and it was reported that as soon as he walked in the door, and before he said anything, the store staff member said words to the effect, we’re all out of whatever you’re after! The three locals in the store just stared at him like he was an alien. A nice, friendly town for sure!
Riding on, the hills became gentler and less frequent before we reached lunch at 70 miles just past the town of Canton and on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. The river, while currently in full flood, was not very mighty at this point – only a few hundred metres wide. A large thunderstorm and rain cloud was on the far side of the river but moved off and we did not get wet at all.
There was no welcome sign on the road we were on. After a few miles, we turned south, straight into a stiff headwind with the countryside basically flat. The temperature also jumped from 21°C just prior to lunch to hit 32°C as we pushed into the wind.
We passed some houses built on stilts on the water edge as we progressed towards Quincy.
Reaching town, we detoured to a bike shop as Patrick had found a crack in his back wheel rim yesterday and also managed to lose a drink bottle today – he suspects it may have fallen out as we did the big jump off the road shoulder as we left town this morning. It was a small bike shop but they had a heavy duty wheel which Patrick bought. They guarantee it will last him to the Atlantic Ocean. He also bought another drink bottle and after the wheel was fitted, we were back on the road to the hotel. They tyre was not quite on right so he was riding with a bumpy back wheel plus his old wheel in his hand. Just what is required for the Missouri roads – a spare wheel.
One rider has also cracked his frame – this is the 2nd Trek Madone frame to crack on this tour.
Riding down Maine Street, we passed numerous large, elegant looking houses and sections before reaching the hotel just before 2:30pm. With 158.2km in our legs, we had ridden for 5hrs 43m for the day at an average speed of 27.7km/h, including the bike shop detour.
Route maps for tomorrow were given out at 4pm, just as the last rider completed today’s ride. Tomorrow we can have breakfast at the hotel but the schedule is to leave around 7am and bike to breakfast at a restaurant about 14 miles on course. The weather forecast is again about a 60% chance of thunderstorms but the wind is predicted to be SSW which should aid us.
Patrick went to see the mechanic to have his new wheel checked. After doing this, he could not find the room. With a different room in a different hotel in a different town most nights, this is not an uncommon problem for tired riders.
For dinner, we walked up town to the local Steak ‘n Shake for milkshakes and hamburgers, followed by cinnamon rolls from the supermarket.
Numbers for the day:
Departure time: 7:04am Distance: 98.3 miles (158.2km)
Riding time: 5hrs 43m
Average speed: 17.2 mph (27.7km/h)
Maximum speed: 36.6 mph (58.9km/h)
Vertical climbing: 3,657ft (1,115m)
Temperature range: 21-32°C
Arrival time: in town – 1:25pm, at hotel after bike shop: 2:25pm
Weekly (Monday – Sunday mileage) to date: 454 miles (731km)
Total kilometres ridden to date / approximate kilometres to go: 3,294km / 2,268km
Rolling last seven days total kilometres ridden including today: 1,210km
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