A fifth, please

Day 5 107 miles Cottonwood to Winslow 15.8mph for 6:50 A stunning ride through Oak Creek Canyon out of Sedona. 6700 feet of elevation gain. The ride a bit bleaker after Flagstaff. About half of the miles were on Interstate 40, not my favorite. I was with a perfect group of 4 today, we were the second batch of 4 into the hotel. We took mile-long pulls all day long, worked well together and had a pile of fun.

CONRAD! CONRAD! I about fall off my bike, thinking Conrad is down. Tom wails this out every 10 miles today. HOW MANY MILES DO YOU HAVE? It’s their ongoing joke about how their computers are off. Conrad’s bike computer gives so much information it’s insane. As we rode through Northern Arizona U today I was asking him for phone numbers of the pretty ladies we were passing, their heart rates, and other vital stats. Conrad is 66, lives in southern California, and delivered Hostess Cupcakes and Snowballs for 36 years. He is now a sculptor and cyclist. He has the highest cadence of anyone I’ve every cycled with … his legs are simply a blur.

One of my all-time favorite heroes was Carl Fowler. His arthritis was so painful he retired from the forest service at 55. Watching and listening to Carl arise from a chair was to witness an act of strength and courage. Yet he never ever complained about all of his pain, nor his lack of sleep. He turned 10 acres of scrub and poison oak in the Santa Cruz hills into a magnificent Christmas tree farm. He and his wife Marion nurtured that farm for 24 years, and Deb and I were lucky enough to be around them for their last 6 years. Well, Tom looks exactly like Carl, and acts like him as well. So there’s this natural affinity for this guy. Tom’s from Indiana, and is an attorney specializing in Social Security challenges. His kids are grown, he’s in fantastic shape, and he’s a blast to have alongside.