Rolling into Las Vegas (NM)

 I was sad to leave Santa Fe behind, if only because there were another 100 art galleries and 40 restaurants I wanted to visit. I’m not sure what anyone does there other than paint, sculpt, and make unbelievably good food. But if you can do those things, what else is there to do?

Most of the day we were on rollers. Pedal up a hill then descend, pedal up a hill then descend, repeat 50 times.  That can be pretty tiring if you don’t pace yourself. And it could be pretty tiring, even if you do pace yourself.

Our first sag was at a site where the Pueblo  had lived beginning 12,000 years ago. 

And was later taken over by Spanish missionaries. Before a revolt.  Leaving behind some pretty cool ruins.  And, it turns out, rattlesnakes, which Odie I believe ran across  

Seriously.  There were rattlesnakes

Leaving that SAG, the rollers continued. But with each one we lost elevation and also picked up a very strong tailwind.  I would show you a picture of my speedometer going 43 miles an hour downhill, but didn’t think it was safe to take my hands off the handlebars.

At the second SAG we got this fantastic picture.

1000 Miles already?  We just started!

  You over estimate what you can accomplish in a day. And underestimate what you can accomplish in a couple of weeks. In this case it’s riding 1000 miles with 39,000 feet of climbing.

We had rollers all the way into Las Vegas, but the wind was now cutting across us. Which meant you couldn’t fly down the descent and use your momentum to carry you halfway up the next hill. The wind was ripping at your front wheel and you had to slow way down and lean into it to avoid crashing.  You’d see a rider 100 feet ahead of you suddenly blown 2 feet to the right, and then a second later that same wind gust would push you all the way across the lane   I am pretty heavy compared to most of these folks and can put a lot of weight on my front wheel. Some of the tiny women who ride with us I don’t know how they stayed on the road.

We are staying at the Plaza hotel in Las Vegas, which has hosted a number of famous Visitors.

 And one of the coolest scenes from one of my favorite movies, No Country for Old Men.  Javier Bardem stalks Woody Harrelson up the long staircase before cornering him in his room and killing him. My room is at the top of that staircase.

Long day tomorrow… i’m queueing up a playlist of Ludacris, Fat Joe, Beastie Boys, DMX, BOC, Metallica, and less savory fare.