Rest Day in Madison seemed to all of us to be particularly well-earned. The climbing and road conditions into Madison made it one of those days that feels a lot longer than it actually is – at least from the perspective of time in the saddle. But Val Ubered in from the Madison airport and I forgot about the 859 miles and almost 5 miles of climbing we’ve done since Rapid City – it was a long 9 day segment. It has been good to have her here – I am sure she’s missed my sloppy room keeping. But , she quickly freshened up and we caught up with our group who had shuttled out the Trek HQ in Waterloo, WI.
What a great experience it was was to see how our bikes are conceived, designed, manufactured, assembled, painted and tested all under 1 big roof. The HQ looked and felt a little like you might expect a tech or software company HQ to look like – open work spaces, communal dining and break areas with readily available healthy drinks and snacks, etc. and a ping pong table or two in the mix. It looked like a company HQ with a culture, and employees that embrace and promote that culture – and a workplace in which only a few people quit every year. As we departed the facility for the Trek Lodge for dinner, the long list of 20, 30 and 40 year employees on the lobby wall affirmed that view.
But today was a day of chores – I haven’t done anything but “shower laundry” for the last 10 days so I had some catching up to do. After a quick breakfast here at the Hotel Indigo, we first went back up to the Capitol for the weekly farmer’s market on the Capitol Square – it was great – flowers, produce, baked goods, honey, cheese, meats – you name it. I can understand why it is so popular. Later this morning, we got a chuckle when we walked over to the Clean Ward Laundromat and every single person in there (12 of us), was from our P2P group. But, you have to get the laundry done. A little later I was able to find a nearby Great Clips and so I went over and got a quick haircut for $22 – but I tip really well and with cash so my haircut lady seemed pleased. They have tough jobs.
Some people have asked me lately if I am losing weight with all the riding. The answer is – “I don’t know”. I think my weight is about the same because I am eating constantly. But now that I haven’t been swimming or lifting for the last 5 weeks, my body is changing a little I suppose or the weight is shifting around. As for fueling for our rides, at every stop our guides set up a couple of folding tables holding energy gels, electrolyte tablets, assorted nuts and bananas and small apples, and some quick glucose energy snacks like skittles, Nerds gummy clusters, granola and energy bars, etc. So, if you go hungry – it’s on you! Our lunches are nutritious with many options and always a couple of meats and other sources of protein on the menu as well. Our lunches are pretty much a dine and dash exercise. You roll in, take your head and hand gear off, wash your hands, serve your plate, eat, pee and then get going. It’s not good to linger around and let your legs stiffen up with the lactic acid you’ve been generating.
The next 9 days look to be a little more manageable than the last 9 – we only have 3 centuries but 1 of them is a long one at 120 miles. I am also looking forward to our 3 hour ferry ride across Lake Michigan. There is no safe way to really cycle through the Chicago-land area as you can imagine so we float over from Milwaukee to Muskegon, MI and then cycle about 35 miles down to Holland, MI. But first we must turn the pedals for 86 miles to get to the Brew City tomorrow.
Here are a few random P2P pics from Rapid City to Madison.