They make it look easy.. 107 miles.

Day 13: Abilene to Topeka, Kansas, 107 miles, lots of up and down.


Another early (6:15) and cool (51 degrees) start. The guys were quickly out of town, heading east on Sr 43 until Woodbine at mile 17. Smooth sailing with little traffic. They whizzed by me at mile 23, still cool enough not to need to shed clothing, and anxious to keep taking advantage of the tailwind. We had quick SAG at mile 35, and they were off again. (Well, they did take time to amaze the locals with what they were doing, which is always a "Wow" for the listeners.)

This next stretch was particularly delightful, with lots of rollers (and some up and down bigger than rollers) that created wonderful scenery and the miles passed quickly for the guys until a lunch stop at mile 76 in the town of Eskridge at Big Bertha's Diner. The road had no shoulders, but smooth pavement and few cars.
From there, it was only about 30 miles to the Super 8 in Topeka. Vern headed out ahead of the rest so he could get the rental car he needed to get home to Minnesota yet tonight. He made it in plenty of time. He has been a good teammate, and a strong rider.


Jerry's better side

The temperatures got into the mid-80's by the time they got to the motel, so was getting to be a bit warm to be riding, which made the air conditioning welcome.

Tomorrow's ride should be a piece of cake for the guys: only 89 miles, with one 300' drop to cross the Missouri River, but otherwise nothing major in terms of elevation changes. 51 degrees forecast for 6:00 a.m., so another cool start. Low winds, but swinging from the north, so the NE route may involve some headwinds.

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