Six Thousand Foot Climbs Caps off Tough Week
July 19, 2008—Sea to Sea riders will face their toughest challenge yet with today’s 95-mile (153-km) ride that includes almost 6,000 feet of climbing.
Saturday’s ride from Willard, Utah, through Salt Lake City and on to Jordanelle State Park comes at the end of an already difficult week of riding.
“Everybody’s been thinking about it all week long with fear and trepidation,” says Greg Dyk, a pastor from Sanborn, Iowa, who also serves the tour as an assistant chaplain. “What will make a lot of difference is the road conditions and how hot it gets.”
Dyk says Thursday’s ride into the small town of Snowville, Utah, was a tough day for many riders because of the heat. “We can drink water all we want, and it hydrates you, but it doesn’t cool you off. We actually found a tree and stopped in its shade for just two minutes and felt refreshed enough to go on.”
The forecast for Salt Lake City today is full sun with a low of 64 F (18 C) at 6 a.m. rising to 97 F (36 C) by 3 p.m.
Dyk says some are dreading today’s ride while others are feeling good about the challenge. “I’m going to get up early and give it my best shot,” he says. “The following day is Sunday,” a day off from riding.
The trek includes a stop for lunch at First Christian Reformed Church at about the 60-mile mark. But the bulk of the climbing comes in the last 30 miles.
The week was especially difficult for Arnie Issette, 69, of Canadian Lakes, Mich. After completing a second difficult mountain climb Thursday, he tore his Achilles tendon forcing him to withdraw from the tour.
“I’m terribly disappointed,” Issette said, Friday night. “But I have to be careful and not feel sorry for myself; there are a whole lot worse things going on in the world than this. I got to ride through mountains, something I’ve never done before.”
Issette flies home to Michigan from Salt Lake City Sunday where he’ll see a doctor for further diagnosis. “I do hope to return to the tour, but I don’t want to be overly optimistic.”
--Sea To Sea Communications