Day 28 Abilene, KS to Topeka, KS  107 miles and 4704 feet of climbing

I suppose it's an indication of the difficulty of yesterday's ride (Saturday, June 29) that I am only now, a full day later, writing about it. The heat index was well over 100 degrees for the majority of Saturday's ride to Topeka.

We left the hotel at 6:30 AM to get a jump on the heat that we knew would be coming as the sun rose higher in the sky. The terrain also changed from flat plains to rolling hills. So we knew there would be a fair amount of climbing in the heat.

I started the day riding with fellow riders Mike, Jim, Jamie, and Doug. As the day progressed, I decided to forge ahead on my own in an attempt to get in as many miles as possible before the heat became really oppressive by the middle of the afternoon.

In addition to the scheduled SAG stops the support team always positioned themselves at 10 to 15-mile intervals to fill our water bottles as needed. I would not want to be the tour leader on a scorching hot day like Saturday. The heat can be downright dangerous.

At the second SAG stop, we had about 30 miles to go to Topeka. As is my habit, I didn't stay too long at the SAG and pressed on. I was feeling better than I expected at that point in the day, around 2:30 P.M. I think. The Brits were having lunch in the air-conditioned local cafe and yelled, "Go Dave Go!" to me as I left town for the final leg of this long, hot day. I was still feeling strong, so I kept my pace up knowing that the Brits would soon be in hot pursuit, no pun intended. I had a good groove going and then sure enough - perhaps 15 miles down the road - Andy, Sean, and Chris of the British team rode up beside me and inquired about my sex life. I informed them that it had never been better, thanked them for their concern. We all rode together for a while until I had to stop to get my water bottles filled. They rode on, and I was happy to finish the last 10 or so miles at my own pace. They are all very strong riders, and it can be a challenge for me to keep up their pace on the hills. I almost know not to even try late in the day, for fear of burning out before I get to the hotel.

At any rate, the last 7 or so miles is when I really felt as though I was done for the day. I was fine, but I was certainly ready for the ride to be over. I survived to ride another day and -all things considered- I felt good about how I handled an extreme heat. 

At dinner, everyone agreed that it had been one of the most challenging days of our ride so far.

Tomorrow we ride to St. Joseph, MO. Temperatures are expected to be the same as they were today.