Hairy Challenge update II

I didn't realize that growing a beard could be hazardous to bike riding. As you can see here, when I'm riding in the drops, the beard is now long enough to get caught in the spokes, with very unpleasant consequences. I'm giving the beard credit for the following incident:

I got carded! That's definitely a highlight of the trip. Never mind that the facial hair has a lot of gray in it, and that the waiter is legally blind.

Here's a current shot. Let the ridicule begin. Steven gave me official permission to shave my neck without voiding the terms of the deal. Thank you. I'm much more comfortable, although I think it kills the Hells Angels look.

Tomorrow begins a stretch of nine straight days of riding with no rest days. We will cover almost 700 miles, including the highest point of the trip. We're all a bit worried about the toll this will take. The key is going to be to not push too hard, although when you're out there with the gang sometimes you just gotta go for it.

I cleaned, degreased, lubed and talked nicely to my bike today to prepare for the next stretch. It talked back. Really.