Illini 4000

View Original

Fastest Day, Smallest Town

Greetings!Today was a day of all-around friendliness and love. The day started out with Gabrielle's team-massage Mosher to begin our departure from Butte. Thanks to April Dahlquist for the bagels and muffins! The day continued with high spirits due to monster tailwinds, which let the team cruise at an average of 20 mph for the first 40 miles! After raiding a local Safeway in Deer Lodge, we continued on the remaining 30 which proved a bit more headwindy. But that didn't bothers us much, because we were still buzzing from the tailwinds (even the group that got caught in some hail didn't mind!).Drummond sparkled with generosity from beginning to end, as we rolled into St. Michael's Catholic Church and Drummond United Methodist Church and refueled with chips, salsa, grilled cheese, and lemonade! But the friendliness and support was only beginning. For dinner, we enjoyed the fine company of Drummond's locals, who also cooked us a true feast. Roast beef, fried chicken, salads, fruit, vegetarian chili, creamed corn (Conor's new favorite), peppers, and a special lactic-free dish for the team's lactose-intolerantist. Finally, we enjoyed strawberries and brownies for desert.Tomorrow's ride will be a good one, despite the fact that the team will be 7 lighter (a few riders are leaving early to catch the World Cup final in Missoula (Go Spain!)). Looking forward to a short ride to one of the bike-friendliest cities, with a stop at a hot spring on the way for swimming!Later!