Day 23 - Red Lodge, MT to Billings, MT - 63 miles - 157 ft of elevation gain (we lost over 2,000 ft)

So the elevation gain number is going to get a lot smaller now that we are leaving the mountains. It’s a bittersweet parting, because I love mountains. Looking at mountains, descending mountains, hiking in the mountains, and just the plain old mountain air, it’s all glorious! What I’m not great at is cycling up mountains. I realize that is a relative statement, because obviously I’m here with the team and not back in Oregon. I’m just not fast up the mountains on a bicycle, especially when compared to 16 - 21 year old young men. My high school softball coach used to tell some of the players to cut the piano loose as they ran down the first base line. I kept checking to see if something was clinging behind me, nope, just my own weight and that “super heavy” multi-tool in my bike bag 😉. So that climbing part of the mountain region, my legs and lungs will not miss.

We will now be switching from a 70% physical 30% mental game to a 70% mental and 30% physical ride. I pulled those numbers from the air, but seems about right. Today, however, was 60% wind and 40% strategic ride line placement. We started with a tailwind and then turned to get a crosswind. The team was hanging together very well (high altitude moving to lower altitude makes for fast cycling). I’m telling you the boys are getting stronger! I perched in the back and enjoyed the pull! We were averaging 22 mph as we descended ever so slightly towards Billings.

Once in Billings a few of us rode another 8 miles round trip to a bike shop that was waiting with a replacement part for one of the boy’s bikes. This process was started back on a sidewalk outside of a Subway in Missoula, so he was very happy to have a new wheel.

I didn’t take many pictures today because we were flying and after the mountains, the scenery wasn’t so impressive. Even the cows we passed on one of the backroads were staring at us in disbelief, like they had never seen bicyclists ride by before and it amazes them. I have a feeling we’ll experience these stares more frequently in the coming days.

Keep us in prayer tomorrow as the heatwave from the west has caught up with us! Tomorrow we will bike 111 miles and will almost be able to say that we biked a mile per degree of temperature (supposed to be 105 in Forsyth tomorrow 🥳🥵). Who needs a pool when you can drown in your own sweat?

As we hit the Great Plains, send us some ideas for mental games to play to help watch the miles tick by… Mike challenged us tonight in devotions to talk with God as we ride, I think I’ll be asking about some possible cloud cover and tailwinds tomorrow.

Thanks for following along! It’s nice to know we aren’t just out here riding alone, but there is a community spurring us on!