Today was hands down the toughest day thus far. Our team faced at least 20 mph headwinds as we headed north towards Kanab in Utah. We averaged 11 mph over the course of the ride, which included the downhills (we typically average in the 16/17s). Nevertheless, we made it out alive and stronger because of it.

This morning I rode for Lanita from Page, AZ who is battling breast cancer, and her husband Jimmy. I also rode for Janice, whose father passed from cancer 15 years ago (this morning being father’s day) and also her sister’s boyfriend, a close family friend who is fighting esophageal cancer.

Bright and early, we ate a breakfast of oatmeal and raisins (aka breakfast of champions). It was delicious—much thanks to Jon, Jenna, & Julian for prepping it this morning.

We left early in the morning from the Page police station, and said goodbye to Arizona as we crossed the border into Utah about 10 miles in. To make things more dramatic, we had our first race to the border. Our buddy Zaid took home the prize this time, and Megan and Bryn tied for the ladies.

Soon after, we kicked back off and were welcomed to the great state of Utah with a wall of wind in our face! More graciously, Utah had some of the most beautiful mountains we’ve climbed to day. Little did I know that these mountains would become wind tunnels that funneled wind right toward us. My buddy Max and I pulled through it together, and anyone on our team can attest that the first climb in UT was one of the longest we’ve biked thus far, ever (nearing 2-3 miles of incline).

Nevertheless, I am so proud of our team for making it through all of that. When we arrived at our 2nd rest stop, we were all pretty beat from the headwinds, climb, and unfortunately, the lack of a full night of sleep the prior evening (I think we haven’t slept more than 7 hours since starting this trip! We average around 5 hours). My teammates, Joel and Lance, headed out with me to take on the next twenty miles together. 10 miles in, we were dead tired (the winds hadn’t died down at all). We decided to lie on some rocks by the road to take a quick breather, before hopping back on.

To keep ourselves awake and attentive, we played a game of naming celebrities beginning with certain letters. By God’s grace, we safely made it to the next rest stop. The last twenty miles were much easier than the previous 60. The winds had died down a bit, and the adrenaline was pumping as we neared Kanab.

When we finally arrived, we noticed that a bunch of old Model-T Fords were being driven around. Apparently, today is this Model T car show, and this event drew in a crowd from all over the US, with a few even from Canada.

We settled into our camp site and shared a meal with our generous hosts from one of the Mormon churches in Utah. It was delicious and precisely what our team needed after a long day’s ride. Some of the hosts mentioned that there was a festival going on in Kanab, so we subsequently checked that out; it turned out to be a celebration/ice cream social affiliated with the car show.

The city of Kanab reminded me of Denton, Texas—in one word: quaint. We hung out there for a bit and then finally headed back to the camp site where I am now. It’s been an exciting and long day with so many sites. While long and trying, the ride was so worth it. As I’ve told some of my friends and family, there is no better way to see the US than on a bicycle. Until next time!