Day18 - Tuesday, May 27 - Tucumcari, NM, to Dalhart, TX - 98 mi - 2400 feet climbing

Today will be a day that will be remembered forever. I got up this morning feeling very weak, with no energy in my legs. Others complained of similar feelings. We attributed it to the prior long hard day. I didn't feel like eating but had a light breakfast at the motel. I also had diarrhea and pretty much emptied my bowels before leaving on my bike. I had to muster everything that I had to reach the first sag stop at 31 miles and only averaged 10 mph. We also had steady headwinds that grew stronger as the day went on. By the time that I reached the first sag stop, other riders were dropping like flies - feeling terrible with no energy and with vomiting and diarrhea. We were told at the sag stop that three riders hadn't started that morning and were in the hospital getting IV's and that the doctor suspected a low grade of food poisoning. We had eaten family style at a Pizza Hut the evening before. It seemed that most of the ill riders had eaten certain foods - that were cooler than they should have been.

At least one-third of us discontinued riding and rode in the sag vehicles the rest of the day. As the day went on, others became ill and discontinued riding. The headwinds became brutal and others discontinued riding because of that. When we arrived at the motel in Dalhart at mid afternoon, three more riders were taken to the Dalhart hospital for IV's. Since I had not been vomiting and losing more fluids during the day, I did not go. I just had no appetite all day and no energy.




Don from NY and May Ann from WA at the Texas state line marker. Seems like most signs and historical markers in Texas have bullet holes in them.


Damien from Ireland, Don from NY, and Mary Ann from WA at the last sag stop. They are three of our strongest riders and made it in today in the horrendous headwinds - unaffected by the food poisoning that many of us experienced.

We drove by miles and miles of cattle feedlots on the way into Dalhart - cattle as far as the eye could see.

I will always remember Dalhart for another reason also. Last year, while on vacation, Kim and I drove through the Dalhart area and sat through a 30-minute hail storm which damaged our car.

Tomorrow (actually, now, today) will be a 72 mile ride to Guymon, OK, with one of the smallest climbing feet of the tour. Today and tomorrow we will climb only around 500 feet per day. However, the forecast is for more headwinds. It will be interesting to see how many riders are recovered from the food poisoning and able to ride.

Those of us who did not have an appetite for supper were given Gatorade fluids and minimal foods like soups and crackers. I did get some down and then slept for a while. We were told that if we were not feeling better by tomorrow that we should go on antibiotics. As I write this, early Wednesday morning, I do feel better but my energy level is very low. Eleven of us are going to sag again today while our energy levels rebuild.

Thanks for the comments.