Day 26: Topeka KS to St. Joseph, MO

Well, our good weather luck ran out today.  At Route Rap last night, we were informed that rain riding might be required because the chance of showers was 40%.  At 6:59 am today, and under skies uncharacteristically dark at 60 minutes after sunrise, Chuck was standing just outside of the protective awning of the hotel when he said "It is now 100%".  So our ride this morning started with us wearing yellow rainwear and clear, colorless lenses in our "sunglass" frames.

By Mile 6, it was pouring rain as we jockeyed beside early morning traffic in the downtown area.   As we were about to turn right on the major road that would lead us out of Topeka and toward St. Joseph, we saw a CrossRoads van parked on the corner and several other riders who started earlier under a building awning. Words were said.  Decisions were made.  Michael, Chuck, and I kept riding.

Despite the downpour and reduced light, we were making steady progress along the wide shoulder of
US 24E until we were stalled temporarily by a flat tire at Mile 12.

Michael attending to a flat tire.
We had just ridden through a 4-mile section of highway with significant debris scattered on the paved shoulder.  

Chuck reiterates the probability of rain is 100%.

With no let-up in the rain, Michael, Chuck, and I decided to stop at a convenience store in Meriden where we saw the CrossRoads van parked.    We discussed our current situation with Jan and Robin (CrossRoads staff members) and the possibility that CrossRoads might not be able to support us if we kept riding ahead of the other groups. Words were said.  Decisions were made. Food and fluids were purchased. We rode on.

Approximately 5 miles after leaving the convenience store and still raining hard with increasing winds, we saw Jan and Robin parked along the road with flashers on.  CrossRoads had made the decision to stop all riders until the storm passed. The lockdown was mandatory for 15 minutes, or until the center of the storm appeared to pass us on radar.  We stopped.  We climbed into the van. We waited.

After 20 minutes we were released.  And that's when things got weird.  We were now somewhat surrounded by a medium dense fog.  We descended out of the fog along a paved 3-feet wide shoulder only to be buffeted by an iterative series of 30-40 mph gusts of crosswind, followed by headwind, followed by no wind and dead quiet.    Even during the windless periods of silence, we could see the tree branches ahead blowing sideways and overhead clouds racing across the road due north.  It was very eerie and reminded me of weather during tornado warnings.  Still, we rode on.

As we made our way to the SAG stop at Mile 32, the skies began to clear, the rain diminished, and the wind weakened and became more of a light cross wind and, at times, a light quartering tailwind.

Upon arriving at the SAG stop, we were told that we could not expect van support if we were to continue riding at our current pace.  Words were said.  Decisions were made.  Food was eaten.  Fluids were replenished.  Chuck, Michael, and I rode on.

Within 5 miles of leaving the SAG stop and the weather continually improving every mile, we removed our rainwear, stuffed it in our jerseys, and rode on toward the Kansas-Missouri state line at Mile 58.  But before crossing the new Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge over the Missouri River at Atchison (gesundheit), we had milkshakes and sandwiches at Dairy Queen to fuel the final 28 miles to St. Joseph and had fun conversations about bovine behavior and also about the nearby US Penitentiary, Leavenworth.

This was an old narrow bridge with no shoulder a little over 1 year ago.
I'm happy to see improvements in America's aging infrastructure.

The volume and size of flotsam in the brown Missouri River was surprising.
It mostly appeared to be shattered parts of large trees, some uprooted.

6th state line!
(Sand was sprinkled.  Photos were taken.  We rode on.)

Miles 60-78 were ripping fast.  We had strong tailwinds frequently and long downhills to let out whatever energy and frustrations we had left over from our stormy stressful morning. Instead of a heads-down-let's-get-this-ride-over morning, I had a heads-down-let's-see-what-I-can-do-with-this-gift afternoon.  For this hour, the title song of my tour was no longer Junior Kimbrough's "Done Got Old", rather it was now Toby Keith's "I'm As Good Once As I Ever Was".  "Dropping down" into the aerobars felt good once again.

Arrival in our destination city, but.......

.....we had 9 miles left to ride through a large, tree-filled, municipal area with many rolling and sometimes steep hills.

CrossRoads Day 26 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
Topeka KS to St Joseph MO

Tomorrow (actually today since I was so late in publishing), we ride 86 miles to Chillicothe, MO.