Tuesday, July 17, 2007, Worthington, MN to Mankato, MN, 102.2 miles, 8 hrs, 7 hrs 41 min. on the bike, Ave. speed: 13.2 mph, Climb: 1030 ft.

All things considered, this was a pretty good day. It was a long day of corn and soybean fields, grain elevators and the pungent aroma of pigs - distinctly different from cows......

The terrain was basically flat and the winds were not really an issue, so that meant I pedaled the entire 102 miles - and did it faster than my average mph. I was even in to the hotel by 3:15 pm. Hmmmm, maybe I'm finally getting stronger!

The interesting side note for today is that I was almost in a thunderstorm. I ended up just getting sprinkled on - the storm was ahead of me - but I did have to ride through wet roads and puddles. I had a black stripe going up the back of my white shirt and this was the dirtiest I've been after a day's ride.

I am trying to get used to the humidity - mostly I just try to ignore it and sweat a lot. The temps have been in the high 80's and the humidity has been very high too (hence the afternoon thundershowers).

Tomorrow we're off to Rochester, MN, home of the famous Mayo Clinic. It is another 100 mile day and will feature a few more hills and the same heat and humidity - oh joy.....