Stage 6 - Found on Road Dead

Didn’t sleep a wink last night. Too tired to sleep. Legs hurt. Neck hurts. Back hurts. Feet hurt. Shoulders hurt. Butt hurts. Seems as if the mileage I’m pouring on is overwhelming Elvis’ old, out-of-shape body. But the Tour rolls on. It took every ounce of energy just to walk out to the garage to pump up the tires. This was not going to be a good day.

The body screams for rest. The mind screams for help. Swing a leg over the top tube. A gentle push forward. Slowly clip in. Start pedaling. Keep pedaling. It was a long, lonely and mindless ride today. I’ve not much to tell you other than when I looked up I saw a lot if this;

And I felt a lot like this;

I must, MUST find a way to get some sleep.

Only one good thing happened all day, and this was big - I saw a monster storm coming up behind me as I neared the end of the death march. I was able to muster just enough energy to get home and into the garage about one minute before the storm hit. Winds of 50 mph, sheets of rain, bolts of lightning and millions of pellet-sized hail. It would have been the end of Elvis had he been caught out on the road in this one. Here is what it looked like out the front door just as it started;

The tree on the right is bent to the right by winds, the tree on the left it bent to the left by winds. All of the little white dots are hailstones. Yikes!

Today’s mileage goal: 61. Miles ridden: 60.