Valentine’s fire truck escort and the flat patrol

Today we rode 64 miles from Valentine to Bassett, Nebraska. We climbed 960 feet.

A very pleasant spin through Nebraska today. Short day, so late start, a 0900 roll out of the parking lot with fire department escort. Total climbing of 960 feet spread over 64 miles meant that we had no challenging climbs, just a lot of rollers. Light winds, mostly helping, made for stress-free progress down Highway 20. We saw lots of agriculture and small towns. Truly an uneventful day, we arrived in the lovely town of Bassett where we had a great pizza dinner with a local classmate.

When we ride, we "leave no man behind." If someone experiences a flat tire, or simply lags behind the group, we have a designated rider (the "Sweep"), who stays with them. Each day the new Sweep dons a fluorescent yellow vest and maintains position at the back of the group. We also have two cars that leapfrog the Sweep in the event that a rider experiences a mechanical failure that renders their bike unrideable or becomes too tired to continue. In that case, the following car can simply load the bike and rider and drive to the next SAG or the end of the route. It's comforting to know that no matter how bad things get, there will always be a teammate and a car to get you to the finish.

Tomorrow we will ride from Bassett to Oneill, Nebraska. We will cycle 50 miles and climb 225 feet.

Totals to Date
Miles: 1,695
Elevation Gain: 58,723
Flat Tires: 29
States crossed: 4
Centuries: 4
Strava Summary