Trans America Cycling Day 11 - Safford, AZ to Lordsburg, NM
The link to today's route and statistics is found here.
Cyclists even lit up an internet jukebox to lighten it up. Instigators of rockin' appeared to be Nichole and Kristin.
Everyone had a great day cycling in excellent conditions. Persons in the second paceline photo above decided to work on safe paceline riding from the SAG3 to the outskirts of Lordsburg, a distance of about 17 miles. Speed of the paceline was more often than not between 25 and 30 mph over that entire stretch. The paceline cycled through many times, and everyone had many turns at riding the front of the paceline, pulling the rest of the riders. The person in the lead typically rode one mile before falling back to the end of the line. Before a lead rider rotated back, the group, especially those in the rear, checked to make sure that there was not a car back. Verbal communication was loud so that all six in the paceline knew what was happening. Paceline riding was not essential today, but it will be extremely helpful when winds are headwinds, probably in some places in west Texas. Prior tours have experienced headwinds that can wear down cyclists if they don't work together. This is not to say that a long paceline is necessary. Two riders working cooperatively can aid each other immensely. Practicing now will pay dividends later.
Today we crossed from Arizona to New Mexico. Entering our third state was a significant
milestone of our journey. We also lost an hour in stepping into the Mountain Daylight Time Zone.
Celebratory photos of entering New Mexico are shown for two paceline groups. Today was cooler than many previous days, as evidenced by many of the riders wearing vests in the afternoon when photos were taken. Temperatures peaked at 66 F, and with wind over 10 mph it was chilly riding.
As we cycled out of Safford, irrigation was in progress in the fields of this region of significant agriculture.
A little further down the road our tour company staff posed for a picture on the back side of Mt. Graham.
We climbed much of the morning, but before we entered Duncan some serious downhill action ensued. There was a stretch of about five miles where without braking downhill speeds were continuously above 30 mph. The speed was produced by the combination of negative road grade and mostly tailwind. Strava showed Randy's top speed at 45 mph. Many others reported around 40 mph. The author got passed two times by Ahnie, the human bullet, as she cruised downhill in a deep tuck position. Ahnie called out "on the left" before she whizzed past. Thanks and way to go Ahnie!
A highlight of the day was lunch or a snack at Hilda's Restaurant in downtown Duncan. Banana nut bread was a home run for the first group of riders. The second group was more hungry, and for many huevos rancheros made an excellent meal. Those not familiar with huevos rancheros, translated from Spanish as ranch eggs, must try them in the southwest.
In keeping with theme of the bicycle tour to support military veterans, we appreciated the tribute to veterans shown at Hilda's. There were many photographs of local veterans on the walls. In the photo below on the left is shown Hilda in front of pictures of her husband, father-in-law and grandfather in uniform. In the photo below on the right five veteran riders in the tour sit beneath photos of marines from around Duncan. Other groups of photos were of Navy, Air Force and Army members in uniform.
Celebratory photos of entering New Mexico are shown for two paceline groups. Today was cooler than many previous days, as evidenced by many of the riders wearing vests in the afternoon when photos were taken. Temperatures peaked at 66 F, and with wind over 10 mph it was chilly riding.
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| First paceline consisting of John, Ester, Nichole, Hannah, Randy and Alison |
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| Second paceline consisting of Kristin, Jim, Ray, Barry, Roberto and Ahnie |
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| Irrigation water flowing out of canal and into furrows from one end to the other |
A little further down the road our tour company staff posed for a picture on the back side of Mt. Graham.
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| Loving at Mt. Graham |
A highlight of the day was lunch or a snack at Hilda's Restaurant in downtown Duncan. Banana nut bread was a home run for the first group of riders. The second group was more hungry, and for many huevos rancheros made an excellent meal. Those not familiar with huevos rancheros, translated from Spanish as ranch eggs, must try them in the southwest.
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| Huevos rancheros, Hilda style |
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| Hilda shows us veterans in her family |
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| Tour vets Barry, Jim, Kip, Kristin and Roberto |
Cyclists even lit up an internet jukebox to lighten it up. Instigators of rockin' appeared to be Nichole and Kristin.
Everyone had a great day cycling in excellent conditions. Persons in the second paceline photo above decided to work on safe paceline riding from the SAG3 to the outskirts of Lordsburg, a distance of about 17 miles. Speed of the paceline was more often than not between 25 and 30 mph over that entire stretch. The paceline cycled through many times, and everyone had many turns at riding the front of the paceline, pulling the rest of the riders. The person in the lead typically rode one mile before falling back to the end of the line. Before a lead rider rotated back, the group, especially those in the rear, checked to make sure that there was not a car back. Verbal communication was loud so that all six in the paceline knew what was happening. Paceline riding was not essential today, but it will be extremely helpful when winds are headwinds, probably in some places in west Texas. Prior tours have experienced headwinds that can wear down cyclists if they don't work together. This is not to say that a long paceline is necessary. Two riders working cooperatively can aid each other immensely. Practicing now will pay dividends later.
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