Day 9: Austin, NV to Eureka, NV

With our belly fully of Thanksgiving turkey and sides from the night before, our team set off for the 70 mile ride to Eureka. Because most of the cities we stay in are situated in valleys, the elevation pattern is pretty similar among routes. Usually, we climb a few hundred or thousand feet to get out of a city, followed by a long descent. We then ride plains for awhile and towards the end of the ride, will do one final climb before descending into the next city. Today's climb was about 10 miles out of Austin, and at the summit, we could see the mountains in the far distance we would be riding towards over the next 7 hours. The cyclists are allowed to choose who they ride with for the day, and everyone on the team has been fun to ride with thus far. The rides go by so much faster when people are talking, and I do not think I have gotten to know a group of guys so well so quickly. The other 28 dudes I'm spending this adventure with are all pretty spectacular people. We get into Eureka in the middle afternoon and set up camp in the local high school. The Lion's club sponsored a delicious spaghetti and garlic bread dinner for us at one of the member's houses, having done so for over 16 years. One of the sponsors was a high school teacher, another played in an Irish band, another was a local restaurant owner, and they all were so generous in their words and actions. A group of 21 year olds went to the only bar in town, the Owl Saloon where we ordered the cheapest tall boys of our lives. We met some miners who come into Eureka during the week to mine for gold and then drive back to the home cities on weekends. All of the facilities in Eureka are very nice because there is a tax placed on the gold that goes right into the city's pocket. To end the night, our group had the debrief for the week to go over highs and lows, successes and improvements for the team, as well as hand out awards by Jeff. Bridger got the cyclist of the week, Antonio got crew member of the week, Kyle got MVP of the week, and I got the Friendship Visit person of the week. Essentially, Jeff believes that I have done a fantastic job connecting with all of the clients we see at friendship visits and serving as a leader and role model for the rest of the team. The meeting ended by sharing funny stories of the week, which mainly consisted of cyclists having to drop number 2 on the sides of roads. I'm so thankful for this team!

The Ace Line Pace Line

Typical lodging setup