Day 3: Indio to Blythe, CA

CrossRoads holds a mandatory "route rap" most every night to go over the important aspects of the next day's route.  Last night was an important rap because of the nature of our route today -- 97 miles through the Mojave Desert with special permission to ride on the shoulder of Interstate Highway I-10.   Camelbaks or similar hydration bladders were mandatory, and white sleeves, leggings, etc were highly recommended.  Also, there would be cut-off times along the course. If you miss the cut-off time, then you were not allowed to move on unless it was possible for CrossRoads' staff to give you a ride to a point further along the course without affecting their ability to keep the rest of the riders supported.  The directives for the day were clear -- drink early and often, pour water on your head and on your white arm and leg sleeves, and drink ice cold Gatorade from your Camelbak.  We were also encouraged to take electrolyte capsules because of the large amount of salt we could be expected to lose.  SAG stops (schedule support areas) were to be kept to 7 minutes or less assuming you made it to the SAG stop under the cut-off time.  To me, this meant no meandering and no photo-taking.

As bad as I felt at times yesterday, the first 28 miles today were worse.  At Mile 2 we entered  Interstate Hwy I-10, and immediately started a 12 mile climb with grades as high as 9%.  The temperature was in the high 70Fs/low 80Fs at that point and once again we were greeted with very strong headwinds.  It easily took me longer than an hour to make that climb. As we approached our first SAG stop at Mile 28, I was tempted to ask for a bump up the road.  But then a funny thing happened at the SAG stop -- I started feeling better.

To end this story, I got down on the aerobars and pedaled strongly for the rest of the day.  In a day that saw quite a few riders have a  bad day today and either take a bump or end their ride early, I grew stronger after the first SAG stop and maintained relatively high energy levels throughout the remaining 70 miles of the ride.

Here is the only photo I have from today -- one taken of me at the second SAG stop when I was feeling better than at any other time during the tour.  The white jersey, arm sleeves and leg sleeves protect from the heat of the sun and help cool the body if you douse them with water occasionally.

Wearing these sleeves and leggings were required while
riding a bicycle in the Mojave Desert and are a good idea,
Wearing this same outfit in Ohio is not a good idea.

CrossRoads Day 3 Google Earth image and Elevation/Distance profile.

Tomorrow we ride to Wickenburg AZ and experience our first state-line crossing.  It will be 116 miles through the desert on Interstate Hwy I-10.  Cut-off times and mandatory gear are again in place.  We have climbs of 7.5 and 10 miles as we start working our way up to the high desert.  I hope I can have as good a day as I did for the final 66% of today's ride.