Flats, flats and more flats, and I am not talking about the terrain.

Day 6: Winslow, AZ to Gallup, NM 123 miles for the day, 3815' up, 2097' down



The team rode Interstate 40 all day today. My cell phone registered 47 degrees at 5:25, then rose to 61 by 8:00. So, the guys started with arm and leg warmers on, It only got to 82 degrees at 1:00. a big change from the days before. 

Eric
After leaving at 6:15, they immediately got on Hwy. 40E. The first stop was at Exit 277 at about mile 36 for a quick clothing adjustment and water stop, Then on to Exit 292 at about mile 69 for lunch. Then a long stretch to Exit 348 for a quick water break, then they pushed on to Gallup to finish the 123 miles at the Red Roof Inn.
They rode by a whole lot of not much of anything.

Yep, entered New Mexico by 16 miles.
The theme today was flat tires. Ken had 2, Vern 1, Jerry 3, Eric and Phil zero. The tiny wires along the road from the steel belted radials really caused problems.

Did I mention they got flats?
The same photo? Yep. The guys didn't think the scenery changed much either.
The route was pretty easy, gently rolling, through a whole lot of not much of anything, mile after mile. Pretty dry and strong sun but cooler than the first few days. The problem, other than the flats, was the accumulated fatigue from the previous days. The guys were awful glad today's route was 10 miles shorter than the America by Bicycle planned day, due to a change in motels. All of the guys finished and will be ready for tomorrow, but, yes, they are a tired bunch.
Some nice red rocks before we reached Gallup
The plan for tomorrow is: Day 7: Saturday, April 23 - Gallup, NM to Albuquerque, NM, 126 miles for the day, 4,500' of climbing.

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