Day 19 - Wed, May 28 - Dalhart, TX, to Guymon, OK - 72 mi - 400 feet climbing

Eleven of us who were zapped by the food poisoning yesterday were advised to rest and recover today - especially since we are to have headwinds again. We have been allowed to remain in our overnight motel in Dalhart and will be transported by the sag vehicles later this afternoon. As it turned out, yesterday, seven riders were given IV's, from one to three liters of saline solution. Some were also given antibiotics. The doctor has reported the food poisoning to the Health Dept. so it is being investigated.

Due to the food poisoning and brutal headwinds only eight out of 39 riders made it in without being sagged, yesterday. The last rider came in around 8pm after almost 13 hours on the road.

The CrossRoads staff has been fantastic throughout all of our extreme weather conditions and other happenings on this tour. The logistics of sagging so many riders and transporting them to hospitals has to have been a nightmare to them but they have remained cool and smiling throughout.

Mack, one of the staff from England, left the tour today to fly home. He has a heart condition that was re triggered by the food poisoning and so it was thought best that he return home. We were sorry to see him go as he always greeted us at the sag stops with encouragement and a smiling face. Mack has ridden the tour before but was working on the staff this year.

It is interesting to note that several of the riders and/or staff have done part or all of the tour before and they confirm that we have had more extremes in weather and other happenings than ever before. Some riders are repeating to reach their goal of riding every mile without being sagged or are filling in gaps not ridden on previous tours.

Tomorrow, we will ride from Guymon, OK, to Liberal, KS, home of Dorothy of Wizard of Oz fame. It will be a short 40 miles with tailwinds being forecasted - very welcomed after our recent riding conditions.

Bye for now and thanks for the comments.

Bob

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.