Day 27: Austin, MN to La Crosse, WI

WISCONSIN! I've made it to the great state of Wisconsin.

I love my adopted state of California, but Wisconsin holds a very special place in my heart. For one, the best milk in the US comes from Wisconsin. I know the slogan is, "happy cows come from California," but I still think Wisconsin cows produce better tasting milk. This is also the state where I went to college, made good friends, and most importantly of all, met Steph. So I'm very happy to be back in Wisconsin for a few days.

Today was a good day on the bike. I had been struggling a bit in the previous few days. I kept looking around and thinking, "I feel like I'm working much harder than everyone else in the group." I thought maybe it was because of the wind. The wind was rough and I hate riding in the wind. And that probably was part of it. However, yesterday around mile 76 I was on the front pulling with one of the guides and all of sudden we both started hearing this weird squeaking noise. We then realized it was coming from my bike. The bike seemed fine and we only had 4 miles to go so I just kept riding. When we got to the hotel he took my bike to try to figure out where the noise was coming from. After a few minutes, which included him riding my bike, he realized it was coming from my back wheel. He hung it up and spun the wheel. The wheel almost immediately came to a stop when it should've been spinning quite nicely. The current assessment is that the bearings in my rear wheel are worn out and are seizing up. So yes, I was working harder than everyone else in the group. Unfortunately, neither I, nor they had replacement bearings, but they did have a suitable wheel. They have arranged for the head mechanic for Trek Travel to replace the bearings when we get to Madison. In the meantime, the loaner wheel made a huge difference.

As for the ride itself, it was a mixed day. We did have more wind, but we caught a break for 40 miles when we were on a bike path that ran along the Root River. None of us were really looking forward to spending 40 miles on a bike path because it normally means navigating lots of hazards like people, but it turned out okay and was quite beautiful. We had lunch next to a sink hole, in the sink hole capital of the US. We also had a bit of rain and one tough climb at mile 105 with a few rather steep sections. And finally, a few miles from the end we crossed the Mississippi River.

One more long, hard day tomorrow.

Day 27 stats:

• distance: 117.1 miles

• elevation gain: 2818 ft

• nutrition:

  • breakfast: egg & cheese sandwich, cantaloupe, pineapple, NuGo protein bar

  • lunch: rice & veggies with peanut sauce, pineapple, swiss cheese slices, a couple pieces of chocolate, and 1 can peach & honey Aha

  • post-ride: 1 recovery drink, 1 small coke, peanut butter clif nut butter bar, dill pickle potato chips, 1 La Croix

  • gels: 4

  • bloks: 1.5

  • 78 oz skratch superfuel

Day 28 details - La Crosse to Spring Green

• planned distance: 104 miles

• planned elevation gain: 4584 ft