Day Four Caution

Okay, let's recap. One broken hand. One blocked intestine. One hell of a hematoma the size of my noggin. Batman needs his rabies shot today.

And we've got a rider who can't ingest anything except air. She is crossing the Rockies on nothing but saliva. And still smoking the competition.

Watching a team fall into the pits of sleep deprivation is an amazing thing. The simplest tasks become impossible challenges. Sentences contain questionable English. Skills become weak. Drowsiness abounds. Your own words sound distant and foreign.

Now, go balance yourself on an 8 lb carbon bicycle. Perch yourself behind the wheel of a closely following automobile. Fire up the engine on that massive Arvee. These are not the ideal pastimes of a sleepy individual.

Hell, all I did was ungracefully dismount the bed and I wound up with the dark side of the moon on my ass! All I'm saying is shit happens.

Take the RV we saw entering into Pagosa Springs. Crumpled side, crushed front, living room furniture on the highway like they stopped for a picnic. It's true. Scary reminder. No serious injuries but inevitably DNF.

This ain't no cross country tour!