July 19 Worthington to Mankato, Minnesota

Ahhh, back in Minnesota where there’s no such thing as a parking garage.  It’s a parking ramp.

Tough day today — 103 miles in heat and humidity.  We got up early and were on the road by 6:15. The earlier the better to beat the heat.  The early going was fine — we had tailwinds and averaged over 18 miles per hour for the first several hours.  I drank lots and lots of water and ate electrolyte gel bars to stay hydrated and avoid cramps.  I also bundled ice cubes into a bandanna and tied it around my neck.  With my ‘do rag and my bandanna, I’m not sure if I looked like a pirate or a cowboy.  But I’m sure I looked good.

We went through small towns with names like Madelia, Windom, and St. James.  I’m pretty sure that Madelia is the model for Lake Woebegone.  (Of course, I thought that yesterday in the town of Luverne).  Everything was fine until Mile 96 when I shredded my rear tire.  This wasn’t just a tube that punctured.  I hit something that sliced right through the tire.  I carry a spare tube but my spare tire was in the mechanic’s van and who knows where that was.

Fortunately, California Ann and Leslie stopped to help me.  They taught me the dollar bill trick.  The problem with a cut tire is that a new tube will simply expand into the same cut and rapidly puncture.  Your really need a new tire.  But if you don’t have one, you fold up a dollar bill and lay it inside the tire to cover the cut.  When you put the new tube in, the dollar bill prevents it from expanding into the cut.  (I asked Ann and Leslie if a $5 bill wouldn’t be better — higher cost, higher quality, etc.  They convinced me that it wouldn’t.) So we put the dollar bill in, put in the new tube, re-assembled everything and — lo and behold — it all worked.  For exactly five miles.  At Mile 101, it was dead again.  We tried pumping it up again but it only held for 100 yards or so.  So, I walked the rest of the way. I’m going to claim credit for a 103 mile day but we’ll put in a little asterisk to explain that I rode 101 and walked two.

Day’s distance: 103.2 miles* (166.1 km)
Average speed: 17.5 mph (28.2 kph)
Day’s climb: 1,300 feet (396.2 meters)
Total distance: 2,247.5 miles (3,617.0 km)

* Two miles walking

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5 Responses to July 19 Worthington to Mankato, Minnesota

  1. Lisa Olson says:

    Now I understand the need for 2 new tires – what are you going to do tomorrow?

  2. Elena says:

    Minnesota, the land of Swedes… I still cannot believe that you bike 150km on a daily basis and you are still up for it day in day out! But then again, you are TW 🙂
    We are with you all the way, in spirit and mind!

  3. Gail Berthe says:

    Travis, we really enjoy your more scenic blogs. Locomotive’s (will have to remember this ‘name’ when he gets too compulsive!) blogs are too statistical. It is nice to know where the bike ride is. As you bike through this central US consider the people who came in the really early days–covered wagon, horseback, no dairy queen, some danger or inconvenience at every bend, and really no idea of what lay ahead. The heat wave of 2011 really is more than an inconvenience and do be careful. GB

  4. Buffy Marie Collison says:

    Way to go Travis!!! I so enjoy your travelogue. You are in my parents’ home territory. My father was born in Blue Earth, MN and went to school in Mankato. And my daughter-in-law’s family lives in Mankato. So I know that part of the country well. And when you reach Wisconsin, you’ll be in my mother’s neck of the woods (Marshfield).
    Anyway, know that I continue to send you lots of positive energy.
    I do wonder, though, how many cookies get consumed each day?

  5. Harry says:

    Next time, try a Canadian dollar. It will help you go an extra 4%.

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