114 miles in 9hrs 40mins (incl. just several snack and juice stops)
Total Distance - 3,653 miles
I think I considerably underestimated the state of Arkansas - both how pleasantly scenic it would be but also how hilly that scenery would be. Not major hills at all but seemingly endless of those short 30-50ft rolling hills that are probably mostly too small to have registered on the mapping software I used when planning the trip. Much tougher than I expected.
I felt ok this morning, not great but I figured I'd feel better once I got the pedals spinning. But after about 10 miles things didn't improve, if anything they'd got worse and I was back to that feeling of heavy eyelids. The decline continued over the next few miles so I decided it was time for chemical stimulants for only the second time on the trip. Given the only other time I succumbed to caffeine was on the stage into Ferndale when I ended up violently sick I wasn't keen on taking this option but, today, drugs were 'necessary'. Therefore, a can of Red Bull would be purchased at the next shop I passed. And then started my search for a 'dealer' of said beverage. However there was nothing. Not a lack of Red Bull, a lack of shops. None until I reached the village of, eh, Village, after 50 miles. I was tired, hungry and for the first time since the 'dull' day through Eastern Arizona, I was worrying about whether I had enough daylight to get me where I was planning on going. Still, I was moving onto a more major road for the next 20+ miles into El Dorado so I expected a faster road. But it was anything but as the shoulder lane was rough, filled with gravel and slow. Halfway along I stopped to chat with a group of local cyclists - the first cyclists I've seen since leaving Albuquerque 1,000 miles ago! I pressed on past the city of El Dorado, sipping on Red Bull as I went onto yet another state line as I crossed into Louisiana and finally onto the city of Farmerville just before seven.
Now I just need to get some sleep then do it all again tomorrow as I try for a hat-trick of century rides.
