I’m so confused I don’t know what’s happening right now.

I have been looking forward to this ride since Roehl told us he was coming to town and wanted to ride. The anticipation continued to build as Kant and I went back and forth refining the ride adding some of our favorite segments. I’m pretty happy with the results despite the minor issues we ran into along the way which were no fault of our own.

The day started early with a quick bowl of cereal for breakfast. Then I started getting ready, which was an exercise in decision making. Each year when the temperatures start dropping it feels like I have to completely relearn how to dress. I have a couple website favorites with some general guidelines, but on bike comfort is such a personal thing. I dressed how I have been for my morning commutes the past few weeks (wool socks, leg warmers, wool base layer, long sleeve thermal jersey, and wind vest) and jumped in the truck, but not before grabbing my arm warmers just in case. Drove down the hill and picked up Joy before making a stop at Starbucks on the way to the start at the Dunkin’ Donuts at Charleston and DFH.

We arrived a little later than I would have liked, but it’s my fault for running a little slow. Arriving at Dunkin’, we spotted Roehl, the guest of honor. I got out, started getting ready, and visited with the gang (Caleb, Ferdie, Kant, Robert, and Roehl) a little before making a quick bathroom break. Getting out in the cold I was reminded why I hate driving to the start, it is so tempting to say “Aww hell no”, pack it in, and go home.

Realizing that Kant rode from home, I checked in with him about his kit decisions and how he was feeling. I learned he was dressed similarly to me, and had started cool but had started to warm up by the time he arrived at Dunkin’. Walking back to the truck I decided to put on the arm warmers under my jersey to play it safe. Ultimately I was glad I did.

To no one’s surprise, getting started was a bear. I would guess the temperature was in the upper-30s or low-40s as we left Dunkin’, and the winds out of the north made it feel even colder. Thankfully the ride out to Red Rock is mostly uphill which allowed us to warm up making things a little more bearable.

Approaching the entrance to Red Rock the sun was just starting to clear the mountains in the east and casting a beautiful warm glow onto Red Rock’s namesake formations. As I rode next to Roehl, I told him he was lucky to be catching it at this hour because you really can’t beat the scene. Continuing to climb to High Point Overlook, the sun continued to climb slowly but surely raising the temperature. Once at the top we gathered for some pictures before the anticipated cooler descent.

With the winds steadily out of the north there were certainly some concerns about the descent. Thankfully the wind behaved and, when combined with the shallower wheelset I installed the night before, the descent was fast and went off without issue. We did the typical regroup at the exit, and agreed we would regroup again at the 159/160 Terrible’s for a quick bathroom break.

This was one of the few ride segments where the winds were beneficial. As we pulled onto 159 I slow rolled to make sure everyone was together in anticipation of a fun run to Terrible’s. After a few shoulder checks it seemed we were lined up and I started pulling. I must have caught everyone off guard because the next time I looked back I only saw Joy! There wasn’t anything I could do other than keep pushing on. It was for the best because by the time Joy and I arrived we were both bursting at the seams.

A short time later the rest of the gang arrived. The only two who didn’t stop for long were Ferdie and Robert. The two of them briefly checked on to let us know they were going to get a head start knowing we would catch up.

Maybe five minutes later the rest of us (Caleb, Joy, Roehl, and I) rolled out to chase down Ferdie and Robert. Traveling east along Blue Diamond the winds felt stronger and were certainly more treacherous. All of us were getting pushed around and it was significantly worse when any big trucks went by, especially if they weren’t able to give us an extra buffer lane.

Just before Hualapai, from behind I hear a thump and the all too familiar “ppssstttt”. We get stopped to find that Caleb has a front flat. Looking it over we can’t find any significant puncture. The only suspect spot we find doesn’t go through. Caleb decides to hit it with an inflator to try to find the problem. Almost straight away we hear the hiss and find a sidewall puncture. We covered it while Caleb got his plug ready to go. He drove the plug home and the tire promptly went flat. Caleb dumps the rest of the CO2 into it and it refuses to seal. After a brief walk to Hualapai, Caleb calls Dead Breed (Kevin), who lives nearby, to bring some sealant, tools and floor pump. Then he insists the four of us continue on and once he’s fixed he’ll catch up. We’d hear later that he was unable to get things fixed roadside, got sagged to Pedal & Pour, and ultimately sagged home.

Now the four of us were on a mission. We wanted to catch up with Ferdie and Robert and get to the Starbucks near Green Valley Pkwy and Carnegie. The Starbucks was our next regroup spot and where two additional riders, Jason and Jennifer, had wanted to join in for a portion of the ride. We made great time absolutely flying east along Cactus. Just past Bermuda, Kant received a text from Jennifer that she’d just seen us go by at Last Vegas Blvd. With that I slowed down to allow Jennifer to catch up. Kant did as well, but Joy and Roehl didn’t hear the message and continued up the road. Thankfully, Joy and Roehl stopped at Maryland Pkwy and by then we could look back and see Jennifer coming.

Approaching the intersection of Sunridge Heights and Seven Hills we could see some construction going on. To make matters worse, parents were dropping off their kids at Wolff. Sunridge Heights was reduced to one lane going east. Then multiple parents chose to force their left turn onto southbound Seven Hills jamming up the entire intersection. I hate to admit my blood pressure got elevated and my inner commute demon came out. I whipped around behind the last mom to make it through.

We arrived at Starbucks to find Ferdie, Jason, and Robert comfortably relaxing and enjoying some snacks and drinks. After visiting with them for a few minutes, Ferdie, Jason, Jennifer, Robert and Roehl decided to get going early and we agreed to regroup at Hoover Dam Gas. Kant grabbed himself a bagel and coffee. Joy and I passed on anything, but I took the opportunity to peel off and store my arm warmers and wind jacket. After our nice 10-15 minute break we set off to chase down the lead group.

The three of us made good time through Veterans Dr and the Nevada State Veterans Home. As we rode along the UPRR trail and passed by the bus stop, we spotted a portion of the lead group having just made the turn onto the RMT. Jason and Jennifer, having other obligations, had stuck with the others until the route joined the UPRR trail. At that junction, the two Js turned left to return home while the others continued right for the dam. Veterans Dr was where we all got stitched back together.

With the winds out of the north I suspect we set a record for the slowest descent along Boulder City Pkwy. For the four mile descent the stats are pretty funny. 22.4 MPH average with a maximum 29.2 MPH speed while averaging 162 watts along a -4.2% grade!?! Crazy! I am happy it was more of a direct headwind versus a crosswind. The former offering more stability than the latter.

Arriving at Hoover Dam Gas, I think we were all ready for a break. I’m fairly certain everyone made a restroom stop. Several of us, myself included, indulged in a Danish (cherry for me). Roehl even took a work call while Kant was dealing with his own work duties. After a relaxing 25 minute break we set off for Arizona.

The trip through the dam was awesome. One advantage of riding during the middle of the week and in the cool meant there wasn’t much traffic! Certainly nothing like what you’d typically see during the weekend. It made for a completely different and enjoyable experience. We took our time as we dropped Roehl while he was busy taking pictures; however, we made sure to stop at, and point out, the “Welcome to Arizona” sign. Of course we took several pictures at the Hoover Dam Lookout before setting off for home. Along the way, Kant stopped at the new roundabout to shed some layers, and I offered an audible to climb to the Lake Meade Overlook. At making that offer, I was surprised to learn that neither Ferdie, Joy, nor Kant had ever been up there. Bonus!

We made our way back through Boulder City and regrouped again at the Industrial summit. Once Robert arrived he shared that Ferdie was starting to fade as he had to stop for him a few times climbing from the dam. After Ferdie joined us we continued on and instead of staying with Industrial we made a turn onto Canyon Rd. Roehl had seen pictures of the mountain bike sculpture at the Bootleg roundabout on Jennifer’s Strava feed numerous times and it was on the list of things he’d wanted to see on this ride. We certainly couldn’t disappoint him, and of course that meant more pictures.

As we continued toward the finish, I was very conscious of the fact that Ferdie was struggling. I managed my pace trying to not go too hard. We regrouped at the UPRR trail bus stop despite having discussed not regrouping until Pedal & Pour. During the UPRR trail descent, I would occasionally fall back to give Ferdie a friendly wheel, but I don’t know how effective it was.

Nearing Wigwam, there was a train heading in the opposite direction. This resulted in a decent line of cars waiting at the railroad crossing at Wigwam. The four of us in front picked our way through without issue, but Ferdie and Robert got stuck waiting to cross Wigwam as traffic started moving right as they rolled up. I stopped short at Gibson to make sure they cleared traffic we got caught at the light anyway. It worked out for the best because we decided to make a quick stop at the corner station before riding on.

Continuing on through Henderson we made good time. Four of us (Joy, Kant, Roehl and I) got lucky and hit a few of the more troublesome lights green. Unfortunately, this put Ferdie and Robert further and further behind. We were cruising along Cactus approaching El Capitan when my phone started ringing. It was Robert. I stopped after making the turn onto Fort Apache to return his call. No surprise he didn’t answer, but a moment later my phone finished transcribing his voicemail. He had just left Ferdie at his house, was continuing on about 2.5 miles back, and that we were welcome to stop at Pedal & Pour as planned but he wouldn’t be stopping.

After fighting a headwind all along Fort Apache, we were relieved to pull into Pedal & Pour. The ride from Gibson and Wigwam had been a solid effort and we welcome a chance to get off the bikes for a brief break. Kant and I grabbed a coffee, but I added a cookie to boot. Kant was also thrilled to be given a charger for his computer which was getting dangerously low on charge. It wasn’t too long before Robert pulled in and did in fact stop.

Robert was kinda flustered with the construction and traffic situation along Fort Apache and, I think, ready to be done with the ride. In all honesty, I think we were all about there so off for Dunkin’ we went. Those last eight miles were really chill. I suspect the wind had taken a lot out of everyone, myself included.

Overall, a great ride with good friends showing off some of the best Las Vegas has to offer a visiting cyclist. Roehl had nothing but good things to say about the route while proclaiming adding a few miles and thousand feet of elevation would make it a double century to put on his calendar.

I’m super excited to have had the opportunity to return the kindness and hospitality Roehl had shown us at the Bass Lake double. I would love to have him back for an updated double century route.

New bike fund: $75.37 (+$0.35)
0.4 new miles — From Wandrer.earth
835 vehicles @ 6.7 per mile, 1.7 per minute, Speeds: 36.8 mph (avg), 82.8 mph (max) — by MyBikeTraffic.com
Give your activities the names they deserve. — by Bandok.com
Clear-Sunny, 48°F-60°F, Feels like 43°F-60°F, Humidity 25%-15%, Wind NNW 9mph-N 7mph — by Klimat.app
— myWindsock.com Report —
Weather Impact™: 5.1%
Headwind: 53% @ 14.2 – 32.4 mph
Longest Headwind: 01h 55m 8s
Air Speed: 16.8 mph
Temp: 39.9-59 °F
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
— END –‍