16 March 2014
Wickenburg to Tempe, Arizona
73 miles (Total Miles = 437)

This is a new experience on this trip, and really, on any one of our biking trips – I have run out of gears. This is new because it’s not the way I normally run out of gears – being in my lowest gear and wishing I had a few more grannies left to go to get me up that hill – but instead my biggest gear, the sharpest cogs on my bike, those that rarely experience the chain. Thanks to a downgrade and a tailwind, we are speeding along at 20 mph and I’ve no more gears to go. A definite first for this ride, and with any luck, not a last.

We are aiming for Phoenix, the city that we will spend more time cycling through than cycling toward. After so many long days riding nothing but straightaways, the twists and turns that come with navigating through the big city are a welcome relief to the bum and the brain. Even my flat tire at mile 50 wasn’t as bad as it could have been, given that there was a shady tree and the promise of more bike path ahead. That is not to say that I wasn’t irritated and annoyed and frustrated with that new tire bead that refused to bend, but with the promise of a hotel room and rest day ahead, nothing was going to stop that train.

After only one wrong turn, we arrived at our Days Inn in Tempe. It’s seen some better days for sure, but there’s no time to contemplate the carpet nor the grout, as tonight it’s my turn to cook. I am partnered with Derek, our resident Brit, and he’s a fantastically good sport about how we serve up “American” chili, which is a good thing, ’cause we may be eating it again. I might come armed with one recipe but two would be like that bicycle chain running on a sharp cog – another rare experience.