Day 6   Sparks, NV to Lovelock NV    92 miles 1638 ft of climbing

We left the Best Western Hotel in Sparks at about 7:30 A.M. It was a beautiful, crisp morning. Today's ride was mostly on Interstate 80. There is no other way to get across this part of Nevada to the town of Lovelock unless you take Interstate 80 and by law, they can't prohibit bikes on the Interstate if there is no other way to get there.

I'm very comfortable on the Interstate. I can't tell you why, but I am. Yes, the big rigs blow by you, and you must be ready for the shifting winds that come in their wake, but it's completely doable if you just hunker down and focus. This stretch of highway has a wide shoulder which today was largely free of debris. I thoroughly enjoyed pumping along and looking at the expansive visas before me. I even let out a few yelps as I do when I'm lucky enough to ski powder. My wife and I drive this route in the winter when we go skiing in Utah and Wyoming, so I know the terrain well. I've always wondered what it would be like to ride my bike on this road and now I know. A sidewind was coming at us from the northeast, and it intensified as the day progressed. Needless to say, strong winds can really be challenging to a cyclist as you work to maintain control of the bike and fight any shifting headwinds. One minute you might be rolling along at 25 miles an hour and the next moment you'll be fighting wind gusts to maintain 10 or 15 miles an hour. That was the situation for much of today.

A SAG stop in Nevada

For some reason, I felt strong all day, but I can't tell you why. I thought it would take at least a few
days for the performance-enhancing drugs I ingested last night to kick in, but evidently not.  I'm just kidding, actually I knew they would kick in pretty quick. My friend back at Folsom Prison who sold them to me said they would. Granted, I won't be able to sleep for 3 days, but I think that's a relatively small inconvenience considering the value-added. Only 4 or 5 days until our first rest day.

As you can see, I'm just not capable of keeping this blog completely serious. I try so hard but around the third paragraph or so an uncontrollable urge to write something ridiculous comes over me. Perhaps if I actually followed my therapist's advice and took my medication regularly I would have that under control, but where's the fun in that?

The town of Lovelock, with a population of around 1800, is home to the Lovelock Medium Security Men's Correctional Facility. Sadly, no tours are offered to the public, and I don't happen to know the warden of this prison nor any of its current guests. Lovelock was formally a stop for settlers on their way to Disneyland in California, and then later it was a train depot. The town's economy remains primarily based on farming, mining, and tourism.

We are staying at Lovelock's most elegant hotel, the C Punch. I arrived here at about 2:45 in the afternoon, showered and then had lunch in the hotel restaurant. It tasted fabulous. I then did some laundry across the street at the laundromat. We had a group meeting at 5:30 to discuss tomorrow's ride to Winnemucca, Nevada and then we all walked down the road to the Cowpoke Restaurant for dinner. I ordered the prime rib special. The Cowpoke is evidently known for its good food and hardy portions.

             The English Men's Cycling Team fuels up at the Cowpoke Restaurant in Lovelock, NV.

It was another fantastic day on the Cross Country Challenge. The only bummer was that the Golden State Warriors lost game 4 of the NBA Finals at home. They are now down 3-1 in games, and the Raptors can smell blood. Tomorrow it's off to Winnemucca!