Day 28: We have the Tour de France at home (jk)

Sunday, June 30th, 2024

Sedalia, MO → Osawatomie, KS

118.85 mi, 3350 ft elevation

In my last blog, we tested the limits of our bikes. Today, we tested the limits of our minds and bodies.

118 miles and a state line to cross. My first century (I was driving the last one) and our team’s longest ride yet. We even nearly matched the Tour de France route in length (they were going to bike 123 miles today). Simply put, we were stressed. As JD described the day before, we’ve entered the second “phase” of Spokes: the battle is no longer just physical endurance or bike fit, it’s also a mental game.

With these thoughts in mind, I woke up at 4am and left by 5:30 with Varsha and Jess. We caught a beautiful sunrise before entering the Katy Trail. With wide roads, 60 miles to kill, and no one else around, the three of us rode side-by-side. Soon, JD joined us and we gabbed about everything from the sports we’ve done to our identities.

Biking in a row was lowkey a bit stressful, but worth it for good conversation!

I love the Katy Trail!! This was our last day riding it :((

However, a consequence of biking right next to each other was our inability to avoid the branches and twigs that blocked our route. Unfortunately, our derailleurs took the brunt of that.

Apart from riveting conversation and unruly branches, the beautiful Missouri nature was another great mental distraction.

We kept going strong until lunch, where we met up with Hank, our trusty driver.

Hank figuring out Spokes housing while we were scarfing down our bagel sandwiches.

After lunch, it felt like I was cruising, which was very unexpected. As I mentioned earlier, I think part of the mental struggle of long rides is maintaining a positive attitude. When the scenery is dull or the music I’m listening to isn’t doing its job, I quickly remember the random aches in my body or how badly I want to be sitting in a room with AC. These thoughts come and go, and I try not to hold onto them for too long, but they still affect my ride. However, biking and chatting with the team made today an incredibly fun experience and left little room for the mental hurdles I was expecting. Like JD said in his post about yesterday’s ride, it truly is the people on the team and the people I’ve met along the way that have made every mile worth it.

Anyway, near the end of the ride we stopped by the “Welcome to Kansas” sign, which I stupidly tried to climb (and subsequently got a splinter from).

Thirteen hours after we set out, we finally arrived at our home for the night, Osawatomie. Our lovely hosts, Jeff and Sarah, cooked us an amazing dinner and told us about the history of the town. Jeff and Sarah, who are retired doctors, operate a bike repair shop out of their garage! After hearing about our body pains and bike issues, they gave us all complimentary bike fittings and a crash course in bike maintenance. It was surprising how little we still knew after more than a month on the road, but Jeff and Sarah were incredibly patient with all our questions- thank you for helping us out!

It’s crazy to think about the dichotomy between how much and how little we’ve done so far. I biked my first century and it felt amazing, but I could bend my derailleur or twist my chain tomorrow and easily be out of commission until I find a bike repair shop. While this is daunting, I think knowing that I’m building the mental strength to do things that are difficult for me gives me hope and excitement for what’s to come.

P.S. Thank you all for the audiobook recs!! I will keep you posted.