Pactour Elite Southern Transcontinental: Day 15

Day 15:	Camden AL to Eufaula AL
Mileage/Ride Time:	152 miles 8:38	Time Lv/Arr:	6:30am/4:10pm
Climbing:	4800ft	Avg Speed/Work:	17.5mph/4031 kJ

The scene at 6am. Days Inn. Camden AL:

Another hot day, 95F. 152 miles to the eastern edge of Alabama.

More rollings hills. Profile:

Course (MapSource and Google Earth):

Notes:

• My rear derailleur cable snapped shortly before the lunch stop.
  With only 3 days to go, not only is the Elite Tour taking a toll on me, it's also cracking my bike.
  Luckily, I arrived before Lon's silver trailer reached the stop, otherwise I'd have been faced with the prospect of tackling the remaining hills with just two gears.
  Lon replaced the cable in just 5 minutes. He said he'd been replacing derailleur cables every other day. And that on a normal PacTour, he carries 25 cables.

• Today, I finished with Kevin Kaiser of Georgia and Charles Combs of California.
  Because of the cable problem, I'd ridden from lunch alone until I joined up with these two near the finish.
  I've been admiring the riding style of both of these riders for separate reasons:
  • Charles for his smooth climbing. He uses his SRM powermeter. Ignores what's in front of him. And sets a contant pace that is much less painful. And yet arrives at the same time as everyone else.
  • Kevin for his smooth aerobar style. Narrow. No wobbles. Excellent wheel to follow.
• Finally, I ate at a Chinese buffet tonight. My fortune cookie had this pithy remark: "Even the longest of days will come to an end."