Day 6 -- Sparks to Lovelock -- 86 Miles*

What a challenging day! We were scheduled to pedal 91 miles from Sparks to Lovelock. Let's dig a little deeper: 91 miles on a regular day is a challenge in and of itself. 91 miles primarily on I-80 East? That adds an extra level of difficulty. 91 miles primarily on I-80 East, with a headwind between 15-20m.p.h. (and gusts of up to 30m.p.h.)? Well, that's just downright wrong.

In spite of the unfavorable conditions, the gang hit the highway at our respective paces and fought bravely against the wind. And, I must say, the wind fought back -- hard. It was relentless. I felt like Sisyphus out there: everytime I thought I had conquered the wind, I was punished with more -- the wind was my boulder.

Early on in the ride, a fellow rider, Ken Coele (not to be confused with this guy), and I broke away from the "peloton," formed our own 2-man paceline , took turns pulling/drafting, and worked tirelessly until we hit the first SAG stop. After munching on a snack, and topping off the water bottles, we got back on I-80 East for 36 scheduled miles to the next SAG stop.

At SAG stop #2 we were informed that there was construction ahead on the highway, and that we would need to be shuttled 5 miles up the road in the SAG van. Suddenly our 91 mile trek turned into an 86 miler. To be candid, I was not thrilled with this news. It meant I would not be able to ride"EFI" (every 'fantastic' inch) for the day (I am a proud guy, and I like to be able to claim that -- what can I say?). Furthermore, Ken and I had to wait an additional 20-25 minutes until a few more people showed up because they would not just shuttle two of us.

After getting dropped just beyond the construction, we continued our ride, eventually exited the interstate, and pedaled another 14 miles on a service road parallel to I-80 East (read: same direction, same headwind). We finally made it into Lovelock, and ultimately to the Sturgeon's Inn and Casino where we will lay our heads tonight.

Unfortunately, I do not have many photos from the day, but you are welcome to look at the select few that I did take. I hope to take some more pictures at dinner tonight, mostly so you can familiarize yourself with the group I am with, so please check back later (UPDATE: added a few pictures, although dinner was kind of crazy so none of the group). But, if you cannot wait, and you really want more of idea of what I saw today, just click here, here, and here. Hey, it's not always mountain tops and lake views out here on the Cross Country Challenge!