Saturday, June 29th, 2024
Jefferson City, MO -> Sedalia, MO
56,740 smoots (60 miles)
Quick Update: In my last blog I ended it talking about my stomach problems. I am happy to report that after two rest days I was back on my bike and firing on all cylinders! Anyways, on with the blog.
We woke up later than usual today because we tried to wait out a rainstorm that didn't seem to happen (but hey, I was happy for the extra sleep!). Our hosts, Sarah and her boyfriend Josh, made us biscuits and gravy. As I've mentioned in previous blogs I'm from Mississippi, and any time we get some Southern Style cooking it brings me back home.
As we packed up in the morning I was sad that we didn't get to take a rest day in Jeff City (as the locals call it). I feel like there was so much we didn't explore (note to future Spokes teams, consider this as a rest day). While we were trying to get out the door Sarah serenaded us with her amazing vocals and guitar skills. It truly felt like something out of a movie.
Biking today could best be described as eh. It seemed like a lot of the team had hit a bit of a mental block. Along the way I could only think about Jeff City, Sarah's hospitality, the biscuits, and how much I wished I could stay another day. We had lunch at mile 40 and collectively agreed that this seemed like the longest 40 miles of the trip so far. Our music was getting stale and the scenery was only mildly interesting.
This made me think about what could possibly be going on. Of course I made some jokes saying they don't call it the MIDwest for nothing, but I think that we are all starting to get a little road weary. We are nearing the halfway point of our journey and we have ridden so many miles we should be proud of, but there are still so many more to go. The next couple of days riding into Kansas will be long and tedious.
On the ride I began to think about how many rotations my tire makes. It must be a lot, but will it be tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions? When I sat down to do the calculation I found that each of my tires are going to rotate over 2.5 million times by the end of the trip! And on the team we will collectively rotate our wheels about 41 million times! Feel free to check my calculation below (each of our tires are 700mm in diameter).
We pushed through and eventually ended up in Sedalia at the Antioch church. Pastor Jeff and his wife Ann were there to meet us and show us around the church. It was very spacious and we had plenty of floorspace to spread our sleeping pads and sleeping bags out. We also got on the topic of good eats in the town, and Pastor Jeff recommended we check out Kehde's Barbeque.
When we biked there we were surprised to see that the seating for the restaurant was inside a train car.
We all splurged a little and ordered some root beer floats (despite having some yesterday), blooming onions, and I ordered a pulled pork sandwich.
It was honestly the best thing I have eaten since starting spokes, and my only regret is that I did not order 3 more.
This restaurant did not feel inclusive for the vegetarians and vegan in the group, but as we were leaving we picked up some free vegetables which put a smile on Jess's face.
We rode back and started the "showering" and dinner preparations. The church did not have a shower, but they did have a hose. We all took showers with some hose water. While I found the hose shower a little cold for my taste, Jess, Amulya, and Varsha gave it "raving reviews."
Going to sleep that night I kept thinking about the small amount of biking apathy we seemed to be developing. After all, we have spun our tires close to 20 million times and we still have over 20 million to go. The next couple of days will be some of the longest and hardest yet with the next day totaling 120 miles and the two after it being over 90 miles.
I think this is part of the challenge of any big trip. Once you get to the middle you aren't still riding off the novelty of your adventure, and you don't feel close to your goal either. It is at times like these that I think about all the spontaneous and fun things we do as a team and the generosity of our hosts. I get to motivate myself to bike every day to see what we will do once we get where we're going and meet our wonderful hosts. I think of every day more as a small adventure. The unknown of what each day will be like, what laughs I will share with the team, and who I will meet next is what keeps me going. This is that will get me through the next 20 million revolutions.
My most recent west bound warm showers guest said Kansas might be his favorite state for cycling. So cheer up the road ahead is promising!!