The Halfway Point!

We had changed shifts a little earlier so when we pulled into the timé station on Ulysses, Tommy, Kat,  and I were in the support vehicle with Mike and Kat-2 in the direct follow vehicle.  Rachel and Kristy were on sleep shift and had checked into a motel down the road.

Waiting for Cassie can be boring.  I kept myself awake by alternately walking around the vehicles and chatting with some wonderful ladies who had volunteered their time and forfeited their comfort to make sure that racers and crews passing tbrough their fine town were properly tended to.

Cassie woke up about thé same time that Rachel and Kristy arrived.  We knew that this was going to be a big day and so made preparations to get underway as soon as possible.

Cassie had a hard time getting going.  She was unsteady on her feet and needed to be walked to a restroom.  Soon her breakfast began to kick in and she was ready to ride.  She took off and Tommy, Kat, and I went to the same motel room that Rachel and Kristy used and we hot bunked.

Later that day, we caught up with the rest of the crew in Pratt, Kansas and made the switch but not before Kat purchased a bunch of party poppérs for the halfway point celebration.

By now there was an horrific crosswind, slowing Cassie down and sometimes almost pushing her into the adjacent lane.

Three hours later, we approached the halfway point and shot ahead so that we could position ourselves for the momentous occasion. 

Cassie flew by as we set off the poppers and cheered.  To her credit, she just kept on pedaling.  We continued to move forward and opted to delay crew change until the next time station in Maize, Kansas. 

Cassie received a makeshift shower behind a Pizza Hut and we put together her cot and bedded her down under the stars.

A couple hours later, Kat and I were sitting on a curb chatting when Cassie woke up SCREAMING!

She began writhing in pain.  Kat got to her first.  Her knees and legs were causing extreme agony.  Kat began massaging while I ran to #1 van for the medical supplies.

We realized that she needed to be in #2 van.  Kat cleared the way and I picked her up and carried over, placing her on the floor just as my arms were losing control.

Because of her long hours cycling, her legs had become very swollen, causing all the pain.  We rigged up a makeshift traction device and Kat began gently massaging her legs.

We soon had her calmed down and let her go back to sleep.  After all, Kat DID promise her three hours of sleep! 

We needed to make sure that she was rested for the big  push to the Mississippi.

Next up:  Onward to the river that made Samuel Clemens famous.