Day 17: "An Active Recovery Day"

Dubois, WY to Riverton, WY

79 miles with 1,250' of climbing

When our ride leader announced that the day would be an active recovery day, I thought why is he using this oxymoron? We were scheduled to ride 79 miles, so how could this possibly be a recovery day? Now, I get it! 

As we left Dubois, we all were sad to leave this charming town. Despite the non-air conditioned room, we had a great time. Many of the cyclists even watched square dancing in the local bar last night! On the way out of town, we were once again awestruck by the beautiful red rock formations. Unfortunately, a photograph just cannot capture the vibrant colors and design...

Within the first few miles, we realized that the impossible could actually happen....the wind was actually at our backs. Thus, we cranked up the gears and took off! Checking my speed at the first SAG (30 miles), I saw that my average was 20.6 - not bad for the distance! We continued to enjoy the tailwind and the sights for the rest of the ride. One highlight was the Crowheart Butte so named when an Indian chief displayed a Crow Indian's heart on his lance during a victorious war dance. We got a big laugh out of the last line, "No white man's scalp hung in this chief's teepee." (I guess this means that he was a really good guy!)

We sailed into Riverton before noon and, once again, enjoyed our standard fare at Wendy's - salad and chocolate milk. Since storms were in the vicinity, we rode through some wet roads so our bikes needed to be hosed down, cleaned, and lubed. In the blink of an eye, it's time for a 5:00 dinner, glimpse at e-mail and bed. 

We ride 119 miles tomorrow (the longest distance of the trip). In describing tomorrow's ride, our leader said that it will be like riding up 60 miles then down 60 miles. I'm just glad that it's not the reverse order!