Today was a bicyclist’s dream. We started the day with a tailwind and smooth pavement. As I was loading my luggage Jennifer, another rider, pointed out the large flag. The wind is perfect for us today! There was also 30% chance of showers so we all carried our windbreakers with us.

As we started out of town my body quivered a bit when we passed a Starbucks and failed to stop. It is the first Starbucks I have seen since Boise. Dan usually leads us out of town. He likes to set a gentle tempo early in the day while he wakes up. This didn’t last long because when Mary took over she took off like a shot. The tailwind just makes you want to go fast. Steve took over and continued the onslaught. They each pulled until they were tired. We basically rode hard and fast all day and the tailwind persisted most all day. I think we got in at the hotel about 2:00 PM.

The day was one of fast riding. There was one incident which occurred prior to the 2nd SAG stop. Danny had led our pace line around another pace line consisting of Kate pulling, followed by Bill, Sonia, Gerard, and Karen. The Stop A Lots, with Danny still pulling, were almost a quarter of a mile past this group when Danny yells, “Stop! Stop!” He happened to look in his rear view mirror just when the line behind us had a pile up. We recognized Danny’s urgent tone of voice, so we all stopped and were a bit confused because we did not see anything dangerous ahead. Then he said they just crashed behind us. We all wheeled around and returned to the scene of the accident.

Bill was lying half on the road and half on the shoulder, and Sonia was sitting on the shoulder in the grass. Everyone else was all right. Danny did his usual medical thing and it was determined that no ambulance was needed. We moved all the bikes off the road and called in the white van. Bill and Sonia had some significant road rash, but everything else appeared to be OK. Bill had apparently caught the rear tire of Kate’s bike and went down. Sonia could not stop and went over the top. At one point Karen, who had been seriously hurt in a previous accident, turned to Bill and said, “At least you still have your teeth.” She lost three teeth in her accident. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. Thankfully, Danny just happened to look in his rearview mirror when he did. I directed traffic while the bodily and bicycle repairs were made.

After everyone was taken care of, we mounted our bikes and headed down the road. I thought we might ride a bit more conservatively due the fresh imprint of the accident on our minds. We did ride slowly for about 5-10 minutes and then Steve picked up the pace and we literally flew into the 2nd SAG Stop at mile 60. We replayed the accident, refueled our bodies, and headed on into the motel. The tailwind continued until we arrived at the Ramada in Fond du Lac.

We unloaded the luggage from the truck, showered, and went out to lunch in downtown Fond du Lac. Tomorrow we have a 57 mile ride to Manitowoc. We are all looking forward to a couple of shorter mileage days.

As I close I want to point out that, in any sport, there are inherent dangers and accidents. Today’s accident was a common one that happens in cycling. These were all good riders, and in the twinkling of an eye a tire catches another and two cyclists go down. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt. Cycling on the edge of the road is dangerous and, especially after more than 30 days of riding day after day, it would be easy to lose your concentration. We have to watch for holes in the pavement, loose gravel, debris on the shoulder, as well as the road ahead and each other. A rider has to change his mindset when riding in the country versus riding in town. I pray every morning before we set out that God would bless us and keep us all safe.

Thanks for joining me today. I didn’t take nearly as many pictures today due to the intensity of our riding. See you tomorrow on the road.

Click here to see more pictures from today!