Hello everyone! I’m Hunter, the sixth, oldest, and last Spokes person to emerge. Day 4 and Day 5 have been quite an adventure, climbing the Sierra Nevada. Day 5 was shorter than Day 4 at 54.03 miles but steeper at 7938 feet of elevation gain. The 8-10% grades one after another stressed our muscles, pushed the bikes, and broke our record for number of protein bars consumed. Jonathan consumed 13 protein bars on this fine day, putting his bar total at around 40. I suddenly developed a craving for Gu gels that has not abated even as I’m writing this on a couch at Stanford Sierra Camp but will probably be stymied once I try more Gu. Besides these notable food-related developments, here are a few other highlights/reflections from the last two days in no particular order:
· There’s nothing like reaching the top of a hill, seeing a bird’s eye view of the Central Valley behind us, and realizing that we just ascended that on the power of our own legs. A literal demonstration of the power of mechanics and cellular respiration.
· Nature is incredible. See pics below.
· If I were to add one part to my bike that isn’t powered by me, that might be a leaf blower. Pebbles can arguably give you a good massage on flats in specific situations, but they fight tooth and nail against you on inclines.
· The Sierras are where I first understood descents are arguably one of the most challenging aspects of riding. We had to build speed if the descent was followed by even a minor ascent and control our speed on longer descents without wearing out our brakes. The last part of the Mormon Emigrant Trail before Highway 88 has a glorious descent, but our legs paid dearly on the following ascent since we prematurely braked at the bottom.
· Food. Food. Food. It permeates our bodies, discussions, jokes, and lives. FOOD.
A more general reflection on the first few days of our trip, and one that my teammates have shared already below, is the incredible joy synonymous with biking as a team. We all have unique bikes/bike parts, differences in ascent and descent paces that amplified themselves within the Sierras, and a variety of other distinguishing characteristics that could each make or break a cycling group. Yet thanks to my teammates’ adaptability and our already burgeoning camaraderie the ride has both literally and figuratively been surprisingly smooth, and I take this as a good sign for the rest of our journey together. Moreover, we’ve had the opportunity to stay with so many wonderful hosts—I want to shout out Judy and Ray along with Joel and Eric for their kindness and hospitality over the last several days.
Lastly, here are some pics from Day 4 and (mostly) Day 5, as promised:
Ethan enjoying food.
Will enjoying food.
Kawther and I enjoying food.
The meadows of the Sierran gold country
Ethan admiring the Sierran scenery at the Devil’s Garden overlook
After our climb up to the Silver Lake Overlook at 7900 feet elevation
The winds thankfully weren’t as terrible as they could be.
Attempting surgery on the front derailleur of my bike
The team at Caples Lake
And now goodnight.
Hunter