No pictures today - just picture corn fields and soybean fields for 100 miles with some small unexciting towns that we went around (we didn't even ride through the heart of the towns) All I was thinking about today was getting to camp and the fact that we have a rest day after our ride tomorrow...pictures were not on the agenda
I stole these two pictures of Kelly's first century from Bill. (Thanks Bill!) I was in my tent half asleep clapping for her, but too exhausted to get up and take a picture. 
105.91 miles
14.3 mph average
This was our second century+ of the week. What a long week!!!! I was so exhausted at the end of the ride tonight that I passed out writing in my journal after dinner and slept right through lunch prep. Luckily these amazing people noticed I was asleep and made lunch for me! Kelly - our hand cyclist - did her 1st century of her life today!!!! It was great to see her ride into camp on her bike!!! She is not always able to do the complete ride each day because of the hills, but she rode over 100 miles today - she is AMAZING!!! Unfortunately, when she rolled in I was still half asleep, I clapped for her in my tent, but I was too tired to get out and get a picture. I wish I wasn't so tired!!!
Today was my slowest start of the day yet. I was riding about 7 -8 mph for the first several miles. I was so tired and my stomach hurt. It was a rough start. (I managed to remain drug free all day again though.) It also started pouring just as my stomach was feeling better. And boy did it pour. Wet bike shorts are not a good thing for butt comfort at all!!!! Finally the rain let up though - about halfway through the day. At mile 61 I decided to adjust the tilt of my saddle because it came loose while going down a very bumpy hill yesterday and it wasn't at the right tilt. I stopped to adjust it back and the screw broke in half. This screw holds my saddle on, without it I don't have a seat. This was potentially bad news. I feared that I might have to be sagged into camp until it could be replaced - this was my worst fear - to not be able to ride every part of the route. Luckily, I got a hold of Dave, the mechanic, and he picked me up and we found a hardware store that actually had the metric hex screw that I needed. What a relief!!! He dropped me off exactly where I broke down and I was able to finish the ride. It only set me back about an hour or so. The roads were terrible today - they were extremely bumpy, which made for a very uncomfortable bum! We camped at the Coal City Area Club - a campground and recreation area for locals. There was a large group of RV campers that were partying hard and were extremely loud and rude. They were screaming after midnight and at one point some of them went running through our camp drunk, knocking on tents. Their music was blaring and they were LOUD!! The campground also seemed to be a main thoroughfare for the locals at all hours of the night. They would drive right through and see what was going on. Most of us had a terrible night's sleep here tonight. I, of course, slept just fine, waking up to hear them only when I had to pee. Tomorrow night begins our rest day - I might actually make it. Never again will I ride this many miles consecutively without giving my body recovery time. It has been some of the best and worst riding of the trip though.
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