Days 24 & 25: Ladora, IA to Des Moines, IA

• Distance: 100.04 mi
• Elevation: 4,285 ft
• Dedication: Rich O’Donnell and Uncle Tim
• Ride group: Julia, Casey, and Tori
• Host: Valley Community Center

Our team had another 4 AM wake-up yesterday because it was time for another century! This day was a bit of a perfect storm for me and was mentally my most challenging day yet. It was a very cold morning and I very stupidly left all of my hand-washed clothes outside to dry, so they were soaked. I only had one clean pair of bike shorts, my least comfortable pair, so I started the ride cold, sleep-deprived, and in a decent amount of discomfort. Thankfully we weren’t on much gravel and I was able to dry out my shorts by clipping them to my Camelbak and change halfway through the ride, but I generally was not in a good headspace to be riding such a long distance.

This was also the worst my legs have felt all trip. The mostly gravel century two days ago really drained me. The rest of the team was drained as well– we had four people rack all day to avoid overstressing their bodies, and only 10 riders finished the entire ride. My ride group was pretty quiet but very supportive. Tori had to rack on and off for some injury/dehydration concerns but Julia and Casey were good teammates and stuck to my slower pace most of the day. I owe Julia a lot for her support and great DJ skills for both of the centuries this week!

Our route was decently hilly but we had great weather. It was a little windy but not nearly as bad as our ride into Iowa City. We also had very little gravel, other than a very hilly detour we had to take to avoid bridge construction and a short stretch after lunch. Magically, at mile 80 that stretch of gravel turned into the most beautifully paved road I have ever seen in my life. Honestly, my entire day turned around at that point! Julia, Casey, and I cruised the last 20 miles to the host, most of which was on some truly beautiful trails through Des Moines! I truly can’t say I had been more excited to see a city than I was to see the skyline of Des Moines.

We have been staying in the gym at the Valley Community Center in West Des Moines the past two nights. Yesterday host van secured a great dinner from Buffalo Wild Wings. Usually our team likes to go out and explore host cities on nights before rest days, but we were all so wiped we ended up napping and then watching Hot Rod before turning in relatively early.

Today we had a much-needed rest day, but still had to be up pretty early to get out of the gym before 8. I went with a small group to do laundry, get some supplies, and clean the host van. We also got a great brunch at The Breakfast Club before heading downtown and walking along the river. Bailey, Collin, Richa, Jake, and I spent some time hanging at a rooftop bar playing card games and talking. We typically have so much to take care of on rest days that they hardly feel restful, but it was nice to just chill for an hour or two. We then had a great donated dinner at Joe’s Crabshack– we ate very well in Des Moines! We did have to all show up in person for this donation, which we didn’t realize until a few of us got there ready to pick up food, so it was a little comical trying to coordinate getting everyone there and then seating all of us at one big table. Back at the host, some of us took “engagement photos” for our upcoming 4K wedding, which we’ll hopefully have on our next rest day.

Until tomorrow,

Lauren