Stage 2 (Jess)

5PM, back in the car.
Great ride! Spectacular views. finished my 71mile leg. Expected to average 15mph. Final stat for stage 2:
- Distance: 71mph
- Average speed 22.7 mph
- Max speed: 50mph (a little scary)

Quite windy, mostly side winds. Gusting side winds + lots of sand = OUCH! Like pellets being shot on my side. Had 2 close calls where the wind pushed me into the side embankment. One time was thrown into the
bushes. But good thing I'm so heavy otherwise the wind would've just picked me up. The last 5 miles I had a killer headwind. Slightly downhill ride, full on headwind to the point I could barely breathe, pedaling as hard as I can go, heartrate climbing, and going a speedy 7mph for 2 miles. Feeling great otherwise.

Dario's back on the bike, looking good. Peter & Jan are ordering me to rest & relax. Maybe they want me to stop talking? Thank goodness for the support crew! I won't talk about the half hour they left me in the desert without water ;-) Other than that they are stars.

7:30PM
We just passed Michelle on Town Pass Climb. Dark and windy now but Dario's climbing really strong. Sunset was awesome! Listening to Maroon 5, entertained by Peter Davies stories. Makes the trip down here all worth it.

9PM
Still no phone connection. 17miles till we hit furnace creek and make our swap. I'm a little car sick, so will be good to get back out there. 70 degrees F out there. Some lightening that we're heading towards. Drizzled a bit earlier.

9:45PM
Passing Dario some Tums, he's having some stomach issues. Got Alka Seltzer ready for him. 7miles left for him. I drank a half a Coke, feel ready to bounce off the wall. Jan is still driving, going strong. I'm trying to feed them chicken I made before we left but they're making fun of it before even trying it. Trying to use the foam roller in the back seat, a little challenging.

-Jessica