Elko to West Wendover

We left at about 6:45 AM this morning after breakfast and luggage loading. Today was to be a long ride and the ABB staff wanted to get us started early

The temperature was a cool upper 50’s with cloudy skies. It looked like it could rain and it did sprinkle on us as we were leaving. As the day progressed the wind picked up into a strong tail wind. The temperature warmed some, maybe into low 70’s by the end of the ride.


This was our first century day with 107 miles to the next stop in West Wendover, NV. Three of the riders including me had never ridden a century. We were instructed how to eat and drink to prepare for this. It was encouraging how the other riders shared advice with us.

Rick one of my roommates and I rode together averaging 20 mph for the first 34 miles. The wind was our friend today.

The landscape started to get greener and tress graduated from 3 ft shrubs to 10 footers. We saw some very scenic ranches near the base of the mountains. It looked inviting, like it could be a nice place to live.

At 70 miles into the ride with top the 6900 ft. summit of another mountain to arrive at the final SAG stop of the day. After refueling and refreshing we were off to finish the day. From the summit you could see I-80 at the base of the mountain stretching for maybe 10 or 15 miles. The miles really clicked off from here. We didn’t really have to pedal for maybe 6 or 7 miles. Just coast and as always keep a sharp eye out so as not to ride over debris on the shoulder.


Here's Rick heading down the mountain.


After crossing the mountain the landscape really changed again. Suddenly it looked like a desert again. About ten miles from our destination I had my first flat tire. Bummer! As luck would have it the SAG van with the mechanic driving went by just as we stopped. We gave him the signal for assistance needed and he pulled over on the shoulder of I-80 and put a new tube in my tire. It’s like taking AAA along on a trip in case you have problems. The ABB support team has been excellent! They do a great job.

These two pictures are looking back at the mountain we just decended.

There have been many flat tires so far on the ride. One of the riders has had 6 flats. I haven’t wanted to discuss this subject because I was afraid I would jinx myself. There is so much debris along the interstate we are constantly dodging truck tire debris, nails, glass etc.

After my tire was repaired we proceeded on to our destination. As we were about to exit I-80 some very strong side winds nearly blew us off the road. We arrived at the hotel at 1:30. I now have ridden a century. Hooray! Tomorrow we ride 117 miles. Better get some rest before morning.

This is our final night in Nevada. I noticed that during our ride through Nevada every hotel we’ve stayed at has either had a casino as part of the hotel or there was one near by. This is truly a major part of the economy in Nevada. I understand that the government gets 20% of the casino income and there is no state income tax.

The hotel we are in tonight is a major casino, “Rainbow Casino”. They don’t have wireless access so that’s why this report won’t get posted until Salt Lake City. We had dinner at the casino buffet which had many choices of good food. We walked through the casino to get to the dining area. The casino is arranged like a maize. It's easy to get lost. There were many people playing the slot machines and at the poker and black jack tables.

I found out at dinner that Hetty from Netherlands crashed and was injured as a result of the strong cross winds as she was getting off the interstate near the hotel. We experienced the strong cross winds when we arrived also. It nearly blew us off the shoulder of the road. Hetty went over the handle bars and got a cut on her chin. Also scraps and bruises on her legs and chest. The ABB staff took her to the hospital where she received stitches. Everyone was concerned for her at dinner. With all that she plans to ride tomorrow.