I failed to mention the day we left Newton and rode 115 miles to Larned that I broke a spoke along the way. No big deal at the time; I've been breaking spokes every few hundred miles since Virginia. I thought it might be the strain of the mountains or perhaps the weight of my bags, but actually my gear doesn't weigh a lot compared to other riders (also my weight is well distributed) and I'm still breaking spokes on the flats. I'm thinking it is just a bad wheel. After breaking an additional spoke today, I decided to stop riding--not wanted to cause irreparable damage to my wheel. Dylan and I caught a ride to La Crosse, Kansas where we are now waiting for a replacement wheel. Michael and Kody have gone ahead and we will catch up to them later.
Dylan and I are camping at the city park. We met an eastbound rider named Dick who was kind of a dick, but also really funny and interesting to talk to. We bought charcoal and grilled beer brats and a rack of ribs with asparagus. It was a feast, complete with a bourbon whiskey nightcap.
Big thanks to Chris and JC at the Great Bicycle Shop who worked out a warranty deal with Salsa and got me a 36-spoke 10-speed disc brake wheel express shipped out to me in middle-of-nowhere Kansas. I couldn't find this wheel in any of the bike shops I've seen thus far.
Dylan and I are going to visit the La Crosse Barbed Wire Museum tomorrow and then jump in the city pool when it gets hot. Probably will grill more too. Cheers!
- Chris
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