Last day! I honestly thought today was going to be an easy one. We “only” had 65 miles to go, and it was basically downhill, and the weather looked really pleasant and warm, but not overly hot. In fact I was a little bummed! Partly because I wanted to feel like I really “earned” that last day, and also because Jen was flying in to see me and I was worried that we would be so fast that I would beat her to the finish line!
Let’s just say neither of those turned out to be a problem. :) The first issue was that the wind was a really severe headwind, especially on Route 74, a rural highway through cacti that had a steady headwind the whole way. We also hit a lot of winds and hills on the urban bike path that went through Phoenix. Then - about 2 literal miles from the end - I got a flat! It was on my front wheel and I tried to just limp to the finish line, but no dice. I said some choice words, sitting in the rocks and heat and wind, changing that tire. Luckily Bernard was there with a CO2 cartridge.
But the highlight of the day was seeing Jen at the finish line! She came all the way to Phoenix! We rode in as a team and rode around in circles and it was cheesy but really nice, and it will be a great memory.
Anyway, I don’t know if I have anything profound to say yet about the whole thing except that, as always, it’s really nice to find a new community and get some riding in, and I am very proud of myself for riding every single mile, even when it was hard. I feel reinvigorated for some new challenges.
