Day 13: Helena to Bozeman

To be perfectly honest, I never thought I'd ride 125 miles in a single day, and I definitely never imagined I'd do it two days in a row. Today was originally planned as a 122 mile route, but at the last minute they changed our route to avoid some busy streets as we headed into Bozeman. With the rerouting they added 3 miles. I think I might have been okay with the busy roads to avoid the extra three miles.

In comparison to yesterday it was definitely a better day. The hardest climb came early in the ride and the overall elevation gain was less. However, after 125 miles yesterday the legs complained about every little incline. Luckily I wasn't alone in that feeling, so as group we took it a bit easier.

And I have to say I'm really happy that I found a good group to ride with. There are 8 of us in the group and we're working well together. If someone is hurting we don't leave them behind, we slow down and help them through the day. This came in handy for me yesterday where I was really struggling around mile 95. They helped me to the climb where we all climbed at our own pace and regrouped at the top. Today a few were suffering with foot pain towards the end of the ride so we made a few stops so they could rest.

It was also a really beautiful day. After lunch we had a stretch along a river and some mountains that were just spectacular. I'm not sure any of the photos truly capture what I was seeing.

Day 13 stats:

• distance: 125.8 miles

• elevation gain: 4603 ft

• nutrition:

  • breakfast: eggs, potatoes, pancake, pumpkin break, NuGo protein bar

  • lunch: PB&J, 2 slices of swiss cheese, oatmeal cream pie, coconut water with lime

  • post-ride: 1 recovery drink, Kate's chocolate cherry bar, 1 small coke

  • other: 1 small coke

  • gels: 5

  • bloks: 1

  • 78 oz skratch superfuel, 156 oz zym

Day 14 details - Bozeman to Columbus

• planned distance: 111 miles

• planned elevation gain: 2881 ft