Day 20: Back in the Saddle!

Casper, WY to Lusk, WY

106 miles with 2,660' of climbing

Refreshed by the rest day, Gail and I felt strong as we left Casper. Of course, it may have just been the tailwind that we felt as we left town. :-) Because I was running late this morning, we missed riding with all of our pace line pals. However, by the first SAG at mile 29, we reunited with Katie and Jane. 

The tailwind was strong and directly out of the west. It couldn't have been better conditions for a century plus ride! While there were a few climbs, I welcomed them, giving me a chance to stand or move my positioning in the saddle. I wish that there had been more opportunities for photos, but the 106 miles offered very few scenes that I wanted to capture. We did pass numerous windmills so I got this close-up picture of one....

Averaging 18.1 mph, we arrived in Lusk around 2:00. Many people were exclaiming that this was their fastest century ever. In fact, our five fastest cyclists took less than 5 hours. That's over 20 mph for 106 miles- super fast! Gail and I ventured into the town and came across the Stagecoach Museum, which houses one of the two authentic stagecoaches that was used on the famed Cheyenne - Black Hills stage line. The other stage may be found in the Smithsonian Museum. Here is a replica of the one found in the museum. Looks like it would be a rough ride!

After a dinner of salad and pizza (and a bottle of wine that we shared with our pace line pals), we were treated to this stunning rainbow. 

Tomorrow, we arise at 4:30 for another long and challenging day. We're anticipating better scenery as we cross into South Dakota and begin to see the Black Hills.