Sioux City, IA (101 miles)

Today we climbed 7,200 feet of rolling uphills though the wind for 7 and a half hours. Yup, I'm wiped. I also just overate to the point where I needed to lay down on the floor for a bit before anything else, even before showering. (Thanks to the local YMCA for providing a great meal!)

There is no such thing as an "easy" day with terrain, mileage, and wind like today. You gotta just keep chugging. Then do it again. I made the mistake of powering up hills with gusto the first half of the day only to always find more headwind on the plateau at the top before the ever elusive downhill, which we seemed to only find on rare occasion.

But don't get me wrong, the views were breathtaking (ok, so were the hills). Clear blue sky all around in the morning and in the afternoon, a patchwork of cumulous cotton balls generously spaced curved down past the horizon on both sides. Their shadows slowly walked the endless hills of corn and soy, occasionally welcoming us into their shade. The cool air rushed at us no slower than 15mph, and that's before moving on our bikes. Some improvised songs from Marie and Sam brought light to the ride and helped get over the lunchbelly slump.

A tough crank today reaped a meager 12-15mph. No matter what speed I sought to transition up a hill though momentum, I was humbled by the wind, incline, and miles under my belt. Upon reaching the crest, which would normally allow for some recouping of energy, the wind would now be able to best greet us, full force. And our rewards for the efforts on each hill were not well cashed today, as the wind's force on the downhill rendered it more similar to a slight incline.

Congrats to everyone who finishes the ride today. Oh, and it's only day 2 of 7 straight, with an average around 80. So much for "the wind at our backs", but still I say, "Bring me that horizon!"