It was relative luxury to eat breakfast at 7am this morning but it took a while to recognise some folk out of Lycra. Comfortable and lose clothes – what a treat. I also got to digest my bigger than usual breakfast without being on the bike which is a luxury I will not take for granted in future.

We have a couple of folk with chest infections at the moment including Darin who is not well at all today. This generates a bit of paranoia as spending so much time in close quarters makes it easy for germs to spread.

Managed to speak with best mate Simon this morning and hopefully later will get to FaceTime with Sue, Bruce and Hannah which I am looking forward to. Meanwhile chores to be done – finish laundry, clean bike, make sure everything is charged and then (of course) be at the local bike shop – The Crazy Pedaler – by 9am opening. There were two of us there when the door opened and 7 of us when I left 10 mins later which must be good for business.

Then I had a bit of a walk round downtown Casper which took about 20 minutes to complete in both a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction. I needed to buy some shorts as the ones I brought with me now come off without being undone (I think I am now down to about 71Kg). The new Independance Day movie is showing at one of the four cinemas I walked past but as that would involve sitting down I’m not so sure.

Eating will be important today. According to my Garmin I used 6731 calories during yesterday’s ride and I certainly didn’t eat that much so I intend to eat a LOT today.

The result of my deep and meaningful contemplation during yesterday’s ride is that there are five key elements that make up a great bike ride:

• Company – this is pretty much a given for this trip. Everyone is cheerful, chatty, and happy to help each other whenever necessary.
• Road surface – many of the roads we have ridden on have been very smooth which obviously gives less rolling resistance. The poorer roads here would be classified as average in the UK although because of the heat, some surfaces can get a bit sticky.
• Gradient – going up a hill means you get to come down it at some stage which is fine but invariably you then need to go up again. Flat is nice for a bit but you are more exposed to any wind.
• Wind – Great if it’s behind you (also quiet too because you can’t hear tailwinds), tiresome if it’s in your face, and potentially terrifying if it’s from the side and over 20mph. A slight wind offers some assistance when it’s on your tail and some cooling when it’s in your face.
• Temperature – cycling for hours in 30C+ temperatures is draining. You have to drink loads and go slower to avoid overheating. On the long hot day to Twin Falls, I drank nearly 6 litres of water during the ride, and another couple of litres in the first hour or so afterwards without any passing through. High 20Cs is good.

Of course, sadly Newton’s fourth law of cycling means you can never have all 5 at the same time!

Well enough philosophy, my lunchtime steak awaits and I have a massage booked for this afternoon. Only one of those requires me to sit down.