Another hard day

Forgot to put details for yesterday. I was shattered and wanted to go to bed.
Day Three
Miles traveled: 67.5 miles
Can't remember the other statistics.


Day Four
Miles traveled: 83.9 miles
Time riding: 9hrs 23 minutes
Overall distance: 317.5 miles
I woke up this morning with the hills in mind. I knew that it was going to be difficult with at least 30 miles of climbing ahead. Last night was frustrating, when I was really tired I came across a bar/shop with the open sign on. It was getting dark, I was tired and it was like an oasis. When I approached it was closed and they had left the sign on...I was a happy bunny.... not. That happen twice today, talk about false hope. I started cycling at about 6.00am and right away the big hills started. It's called the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and it goes to 8,500 feet high. I once rode in a Sierra Cosworth...this was a lot harder. At times I was riding at three miles per hour....for hours. It was brutal. There were times that I thought that I'd got to my limit, but that wasn't so, which is nice know, maybe tomorrow, we'll see. I remember before I started the ride I joked that I had a scientific strategy about the ride...peddle like mad until I finish. It turns out that it's the best policy. There were times when I was so tired I could hardly peddle...I walked up some of the hills pushing my bike, which is probably harder but it gave me a break. I knew if I sat down it would be more difficult to get u so I didn't. All the time I thought If I just keep peddling or walking then I will get to the top. The only trouble was there were many 'tops'. It was great when I went down hill occasionally but I knew that I would suffer for the easy ride...there was always another hill just ahead. I've included some photos so that you get some idea of the height.
Cycling on your own is soul destroying when the going gets hard. I always knew it was going to be a psychological challenge as well as a psychical one. I met some great people today, which certainly boost moral and makes the ride a lot easier. The first guy I met was loading logs onto his truck. He asked me where I was going. When I mentioned England he wanted to know if I would be home in September. He would be in London and said that he may see me around.....bless.
I stopped at a ski resort called Kirkwood. I managed to get on the Intenet to check my mail etc. I got lots of messages, on facebook, blogger and text. I can't tell you how much it means to me when I get a message from home. Without sounding too naff there were times today when I felt quite emotional to say the least...I know marde arse..but you have to be here. The messages I received completely changed my mood and made the challenges of the day much easier.....please keep sending them, honestly they are a life saver....ok they don't actually save my life but you know what I mean.
I met quite a few cyclists who were doing a similar route. I don't know how far they were going but certainly to Fallon, my next destination. These guys were great. They offered me water and actually gave me a round of applause when I approached their support vehicle further down the road. I gave them a leaflet with my website on so they may be logging on. I met two other guys who were local lads, and they gave me one of their water bottles, I lost one of mine somehow. We all had a good chat and it certainly made me feel a lot better. It is amazing who stops and chats to you when you are doing something like this. A guy on a motor scooter pulled over and chatted to me. He said he's thinking about doing the same thing and wanted to know in a sentence what I would advice....I told him in one word...don't. He caught me at a bad time to be honest. I was half way up a series of massive hills. Now I've had a feed and a shower I feel better and would certainly advice anyone to do it....but it is hard.
The good things about cycling up to 8,000 feet, is there one? Seriously the views are fantastic and the ride down is usually very fast. I reached 45mph before I started to get jittery. The side winds were a little scary so I applied the break. The last fifteen miles or so was very flat but there was a surprise waiting for me just before I arrived in Carson City, another hill. It was not very big but it's a bit like when people are bitten by a dog...all dogs are scary after that. I feel the same about hills at the moment. I finally arrived at the motel, which is very nice and hopefully will have a good nights rest, ready for tomorrow.