Day 7 of 28: Winslow to Springerville, AZ

123 Miles—4,300 feet of climbing—over 8.5 hours in the saddle

For the first 80 miles, I was pulled by Steve, John, Bob, Kim and a few others for a long way—all awesome cyclists—then I got dropped and at about 100 miles to the end, the terrain was slowing elevating with a huge headwind. We even got a little wet this afternoon. The last 25 miles were some of the most difficult that I have ridden in a long, long time.

Tomorrow is our longest ride at 155 miles and we lose an hour when we hit NM—it will be a long day for sure. Winds will be positive if I keep over 16 mph pace according to the weather report. Good night!