Starting the 75 mile stretch.

Matt V. pointing to the "M" (for Matt) water tower.

Matt S. and the cow crossing.

Dave spinning with a nice tail wind.

The storm is coming in.

Dave and Kim's photo finish race to lunch.

"Anyone need any water, gatorade, toilet paper?" asks Derek.

Joe giving us directions on how to ride in an "escalon" formation.

The country, and only store in Deseret.

We made it to Delta!

Kim's excited to finally be in Milford and also proud to be an American.

April 4: Milford to Delta
76 miles, 400 ft elevation gain
38.5 mph max speed, 16.7 mph avg. speed

After a big pancake breakfast at Penny's Diner in Milford, UT, we all suited up and were on our way to Delta. The local forecast called for heavy showers, but the sky was clear. As we left town, there was a sign that said, "Next Services 75 Miles." Thank goodness the SAG vehicle is like 7-Eleven and REI on wheels.

The wind was pretty strong, but it was at our backs, so we were flying. The terrain was very flat and we were pretty much riding through the middle of nowhere. We passed lots of sage brush, cows, and tumbleweed. In the distance we could see a storm brewing. I pedaled along side Dave and said, "I hope we get to Delta before it starts to rain."

We stopped for lunch and everyone was all smiles. I was having the time of my life. My legs felt strong, we were cruising, and Delta was only 30 miles away. In the middle of lunch, it started to rain and the wind was blowing in the opposite direction. In two minutes, we all put on our rain gear, finished our lunch, and started riding.

The headwind was strong and brutal. We went from spinning along at 23 mph to cranking the pedals at a slow 9 mph! The road curved to the right and now we had a nasty crosswind. Joe Bingham (our mechanic and cycling advisor) pulled us aside and showed us how to ride in a "V" or Escalon formation. We practiced riding in the "V" and it worked really well. Mimicking a flock of geese, the rider in front blocks the wind for the other riders. When the rider gets tired, he/she rides to the back of the formation.

Although, our formation helped make things easier, riding in the wind and rain wasn't pleasant. Things got worse when big semi trucks raced past, covering us with water, dirt, and little pieces of whatever they were carrying (hay, pebbles, pigs, horses, etc).

Seven miles outside of Delta, we found a little country store. It was nice to take a break and get out of the cold, wet, windy weather. After a candy bar (30 gm of carbs) and some water, we started our final stretch to Delta. In Delta, Dave, Kim, and I spotted the Best Western Inn about 200 yards away. "First one to the motel wins." It was a close sprint, but I ended up the big winner, which brings my Utah race record to 3 and 1 (I lost to Dave in our race to the stop sign at mile 68).

The day's ride started out very easy and quickly turned to extremely difficult. I hope the weather works in our favor tomorrow.

BG, Carbs, Etc.

My blood sugars ranged between 65 and 142. I ate over 600 gms of carbs. During the ride I used a 0.10 unit/hour basal rate and after the ride used a 70% of my basal for 3 hours. My insulin to carb ratio has changed from a 1 unit/15 gms to 1 unit/30.

Matt's Daily Numbers, Freestyle CoPilot.