June 11 Day 27 Quincy to Springfield, IL

Today was a four H-Day...hot, humid, hilly, and head winds...108 miles of it. Century number seven for the trip. It was a tough day, but it dried out my head cold. We were hoping for an easier day, but the head winds weren't too bad and the heat and sun were better than yesterday's rains.

Did I mention that the country side is full of corn...every where you look are corn fields. That is the enduring memory of the day. Tonight we are in Springfield, Lincoln's home.

When I arrived at the Springfield Hampton Inn, we were met by four alumni of the 2004 ride who had a hospitality suite for with beer and snacks. What a welcome sight and great guys to do this. I was part of the first 10 to visit them and had to comment that the last 10 may be just concentrating on dragging themselves to their room. I have noticed that on hard days we don't seem to have many partiers.

The fastest rider yesterday was John from Jacksonville. He got in two hours before me by riding hard through the rain and not making any stops. I decided to hook up with him early today so we could work together on the winds. Today, half way into the ride John bonked and I had to do extra pulling to get him to the SAG for snacks. A day can make a huge difference in one's performance. I was with a group of five and I decided to stop at the SAG and get a 1000 calorie power lunch at Dairy Queen - root beer float, hamburger, and fries. My group snacked on power bars and Gatorade, and left me with a 15 minute head start and 38 miles to go. I am absolutely amazed and what 1000 calories of junk food will do to ones energy level. I was able to catch them and had energy left over at the end.

Tomorrow is 87 miles of moderate hot headwinds to Champaign...and more corn.

Stats: 108 miles, 1900' climbing, 16 mph avg, 10 -20 mph head/cross winds, 70 - 85 deg temps.