Cycling Dude Survives 11,832 Inches of Climbing in One Day

September 2, 2023

St. Peter, Minnesota

Let's see . . . where should I go today?

I was pretty proud of myself for limiting myself to one cup of coffee this morning. I wanted an early start to beat the heat, and 7:30 is a pretty early start in my book. A few minutes later, I blew it all to heck by spending over an hour cruising the streets and hillsides of Minnesota's most German city. (The results of my sightseeing excursion are on the previous page.)

Once I tore myself away from New Ulm, there was a one-mile ascent out of the Minnesota River valley. That climb alone probably accounted for 10,000 of today's incredible 11,832-inch total.

A couple miles after the hill, Highway 15 brought me to a real bummer of a town called Klossner. It would be the last town for the next 25 miles, so I was hoping to supplement my drinking water supply with a Gatorade. I also wanted to buy a new pair of cheap sunglasses. I accidentally ran over my not-so-cheap pair a couple days ago when they fell off my handlebar bag and landed under my rear wheel. I've been meaning to buy a new pair ever since, but whenever I go by a place that might have them, I forget.

I don't mean to disparage the people who live in Klossner, but the town was so depressing that, in the future, whenever I'm feeling a little down, I will cheer myself up by reminding myself, "well, it could be worse--you could be in Klossner again."

Needless to say, I didn't get Gatorade, sunglasses, or anything else there because the only business still in existence was a rundown, un-manned, pay-at-the-pump gas station. There was an emergency phone number posted in one of its filthy windows though. I thought it might be funny to dial that number and say, "Yes, I have an emergency. Could you come down to the station? I need a Gatorade." But I didn't do it.

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After getting Klossnered, I turned east into the sun. For the first couple hours, I found myself squinting my eyes a lot.

The decision to head back eastward was made early this morning. In my head, it was time to start working my way home. There was the sore shoulder thing. There was the missing The Feeshko thing. There was the "maybe this winging-it style wasn't working for me" thing. And now I'm feeling like I might be ready to talk to our neighbors and local dog walkers about Diggity's last days without tearing up.

County Highway 5 took me all the way from Klossner to St. Peter. It was a mostly flat road through a mix of farmland, prairie, wetlands, and no towns. It was getting hot. There was a crosswind from the south and, as any cyclist knows, a crosswind is not a neutral wind.

I pounded out the miles and made it to my destination while it was still only 88-degrees. Upon entering St. Peter, I heard the tell-tale signs of a football game going on: crowds cheering and announcers announcing over the loudspeakers.

Since I had some time to kill before check-in time at any motel, I decided to watch some college football from outside the gates. The Gustavus Adolphus Gusties were destroying the Buena Vista Beavers. The final score was 51 to 7.

In an exciting development, I actually went out to eat in a restaurant this evening. Even more unusual for me is that I took a picture of my meal. It was THAT good.

El Agave had the best fish tacos I've ever eaten.

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Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 204 miles (328 km)

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