Day 15, Lovell, WY to Sheridan, WY

Day 15 was by far the hardest day of the tour so far. We had to ascend to an elevation of 9,430 feet to get over the Bighorn Mountains.

The long and steep ascent was definitely a challenge for me. This climb is “Hors catégorie”, indicating it to be an incredibly tough climb, beyond categorization.

At the end of 5 hours of climbing, I reached the highest elevation of the entire journey at 9,430 feet. The air felt thin and reminded me of my mountain climbing days.

The forest is primarily pine, along with several species of spruce, fir, and aspen. Wildlife sightings were common. I saw a moose, several mule deer and pronghorn.

The descent was a lot of fun. Unlike in mountaineering where you work equally hard descending, in bicycling, you earn the joy of descent. I clocked a dizzying 46.2 mph on the descent.

I rode along U.S. Highway 14, also known as the Bighorn Scenic Byway. And it was really picturesque all day long.I was so physically exhausted at the end of the day, that I had no energy left in me to keep myself awake long enough to make my daily Blog entry.

The words that are shaded are actual links to other pages that provide the reader more fascinating information. If I managed to “Wow” you today, please consider giving to the United Way of Lewis County.