Thanks to my thrifty mother and some hard lessons in life I find it increasingly difficult to part with even a dollar of my money but I was mangled from the 78 mile thrashing of yesterday. When I figure out how to get the topographical data of the Mexico 200 highway I will pass it on to you. I'm dyin to know. The numbers never lie. I'm either still a complete kook on a bike or yesterday indeed had epic numbers. But on to today.
Today I had been told it was flat.
WRONG. Another big fat serving of sufferin on tap. 70 miles of power climbing that culminated before Mulaque with a Beast of a climb that took me 45 minutes. I was out of water but I stopped at the summit before the descent and LOL at this sign someone before me had written on.
I had definitely had these exact thoughts.
Amazingly the last 25 miles were fine. Manzanillo is like the 97th amazing place I've been since I left Ohio. You sort of get numb to all the ridiculous things you see everyday. Like these trees making a cavern for me to ride through a I go up the mountain.
Today I saw a dead iguana as rode kill. THATS when you know your trip has gone tropical dude-when you start seeing iguanas dead in the street INSTED of dogs.
I rolled into Manzanillo feeling great. 92 miles done.
BUT the last 2 miles to the hotel were a joke. 10-12% grade with large cobbles to ride up. I was getting strange looks from everyone and NOT because I look like a power ranger. It was the type of look people were wondering what the heck I was doing riding up it. Let me be clear. I have gotten a ride in a car 5 times on this trip since leaving Ohio because of mechanical issues and 2x because it was so foggy I didn't want to die BUT I have NEVER quit going up a hill EVER. I would rather die than be a quitter. I never quit. I'm as stubborn as my father and I'm proud of it. Quitting is for posers and I have never been one surfing and don't plan on being one as a cyclist. A man has to have SOME pride in this life and I have learned that I can be as PROUD as I want to when I ride. That's the proper place for it. In the last 2 days I have had my honor tried BIG time. I have cursed roads and today I had a 10 minute conversation with the last climb. I kept saying out loud to the road-you will not break me. You will not break me. You will not break me. When i get to the top of you I'm going to urinate on you. And I did. I took a picture of the sign and urinated all over that cursed piece of asphalt.
So I finally finished and the guy at the security gate asked me where I road from and I told him Ohio. He just shook his head. It's getting fun now tell people where I started because it's so ridiculous. He let me in. I found Dane and his parents. Life is good. Right now I'm geeking out in a Starbucks in Manzanillo. After 170 HARD miles I'm taking tomorrow off and I'm gonna rent sea doos with Dane do laundry and have a beer. What the heck. Hope your all doing great and thanks for reading today.
Ride4water via Iphone4