Day 24 BRUTAL

Today we biked 117 miles from Wall to Pierre, SD. Based in the weather forecast we expected strong head winds but the weather gods gave us an extra bonus with heavy rain. After the second sag everyone was soaked to the bone and some riders were in danger of going into hypothermia. At that point we still had 61 miles to ride to the finish. Two good things happened. First the luggage van was at the second sag and we were able to get clean dry clothes to put on. Secondly. The store at the sag sold hot chocolate. It was the best hot chocolate we ever had and put some warmth back in our bodies. After the sag the wind died down and the rains eased for about 20 miles. Then we took a turn heading east to Pierre and were met with the strongest wind of the day right in our faces and we had it for the remaining 40 miles of the ride. It was the worst day I have ever had on the bike and it lasted for 9 and 3/4 hours of riding time. Most folks at dinner felt the same. A lot of the days here run together but this is one none of us will ever forget.