2015-07-05 - ND - Day 39 - Fergus Falls to Fargo
I woke up at 6:00 AM to the sounds of early groups preparing to leave. Al talked about a storm expected to roll in within the next five minutes based on his phone's radar app. I looked outside at the blue sky sprinkled with clouds and saw on my phone only a 10-20% chance of rain in the near future. I decided to risk it.
I left with a group to go get breakfast in town about three miles away. The fresh blueberry muffin was amazing but having it meant I couldn't finish my veggie omelet with hash browns and toast. We left the cafe around 9 AM and rode eighteen miles to our self-designated rest stop at Rothsay, a truck stop with showers, bathrooms, and water fountains. I had an Arizona Iced Tea to cool down and sugar up, still quite full from breakfast.
We rode on fast from this stop with a slight tailwind, averaging 25 mph over the last stretch leading up to our second stop. At one point when the group split, I asked those riders in the slower half if they wanted me to lead, but they were happier at speeds of 13-20 mph so instead I tried to catch up to Nils, Reed, and Alex, who had gone on ahead. I pedaled 25-31 mph to catch up. Reed later said that he did not think I could have done it. Nils at the time exclaimed, "Who the frack is that? Incoming!" We waited at the second stop until our group caught up with us.
I left with a group to go get breakfast in town about three miles away. The fresh blueberry muffin was amazing but having it meant I couldn't finish my veggie omelet with hash browns and toast. We left the cafe around 9 AM and rode eighteen miles to our self-designated rest stop at Rothsay, a truck stop with showers, bathrooms, and water fountains. I had an Arizona Iced Tea to cool down and sugar up, still quite full from breakfast.
We rode on fast from this stop with a slight tailwind, averaging 25 mph over the last stretch leading up to our second stop. At one point when the group split, I asked those riders in the slower half if they wanted me to lead, but they were happier at speeds of 13-20 mph so instead I tried to catch up to Nils, Reed, and Alex, who had gone on ahead. I pedaled 25-31 mph to catch up. Reed later said that he did not think I could have done it. Nils at the time exclaimed, "Who the frack is that? Incoming!" We waited at the second stop until our group caught up with us.
From the second stop I rode with Alex to the end while the growing crosswind shifted into a strong westerly, impeding our northeast progress. That really hurt our speed. Eventually, Reed and Nils caught up and we all finished together, crossing a bridge from Minnesota into North Dakota. We reached our motel in Fargo and decided to share a room together. I enjoyed the showers and a Chinese buffet for lunch. Other veggie options in Fargo were quite lacking.