Days 5 and 6 — In the Plains

Early on Wednesday morning Matthew started riding east from Kim Colorado.  The winds were still very strong, but now he was mostly working with them.  The lower elevations improved some of the swelling he was getting from riding 4 days at 8000 feet.  He started angling north through Walsh, Colorado, crossed into Kansas and headed due north at Johnson city.  

The record attempt has completely changed from a headquarters based record with Bailey providing all Matthew’s support from one location, to a moving record.  The only way this was possible was because of the generosity of the Crawfords jumping in to help Bailey crew.  They also have a van that they use for their own record setting races and rides, so they knew exactly how to assist Matthew.  The fresh injection of enthusiasm and affection lifted everyone’s spirits. 

At Cruzbike headquarters Jim and I were studying the roads, traffic and wind and trying to direct Matthew and the crew to the quieter, smoother roads with favorable weather. The winds were gusty, but Matthew was enjoying the warmer weather and lower elevations.  

His course hugged the Kansas/Colorado state line, mostly on the Kansas side.  In the evening, he headed a little west to finish on the Colorado side all the way North to Julesburg, just south of the Nebraska border.  Matthew completed a great mileage day, adding 346.7 miles to his total with an average speed of 25.9 mph for the day!

After a refreshing night of sleep in a hotel in Julesburg, both crew and Matthew were ready to attack again.   On Thursday, the winds had changed directions and were mostly coming from the north, in the morning but swirling around.  The plan was to head south, but at 4 pm Matthew did a U-turn, as he suddenly was fighting strong headwinds.  Shortly thereafter a vicious dust storm kicked up and Matthew barely got into the van before nearly being whisked away with his bicycle Dorothy and Toto style.  The dust storm passed in about an hour and Matthew used his time well, napping.

Once the storm was over, Matthew continued south finishing his ride in Guymon, Oklahoma, just north of the Texas border.  He put up another robust day of 319.95 miles.  Today his average was 24.4 mph.  He and the crew spent the night in a hotel in Guyman.  With only 325 miles left to tie the record, we’re excited to see what he can do in his last 24 hours. 

FOLLOW MATTHEW'S HWMR EFFORT HERE >>