Day 22 Pueblo to Lamar.

The loading was at 5.00am so the alarm going off at 4.30am was a bit of a shock. Breakfast was slow so we didn't actually get the brisk start to the longest ride of the tour that we may have wanted. Bill joined the other 3 of us and we were the very last to leave, in fact we were holding up the support staff. It was a lovely morning, warm even at this time and clear skies. Being Sunday the roads were quiet as we headed out of town and back onto Highway 50. We soon started catching others of the group and Rob joined us until the first SAG. The scenery was flat and so different to what we were used to. We made good time as we travelled alongside the railway and one engine driver that overtook us gave us a good blast on the horn to say 'good morning,' probably woke up most of the good people of Pueblo. Later had a dog run out of a roadside farm and run alongside barking for a while, but it didn't do anything and finally got bored.
We were just short of the first SAG when ahead of us we saw a police car with lights flashing, an ambulance in attendance and bikes on the ground. We feared the worst and stopped at the scene. The ambulance was about to leave so I spoke to the state trooper who informed me that one of our group had gone down and had a serious head injury. He was being taken to a hospital in Pueblo. It turned out to be Bob from Ohio who had been riding behind Larry and the reason why he went down was not known. We carried on to the SAG and the mood was a little subdued.
On the undulating road we made good time and were going so well that I nearly missed the second SAG.
At the SAG Bill discovered he had a flat so repaired it and then we carried on, but only for another half a mile before he got another one. As he blew up the replacement tube the tube exploded, so had to put another one in. Before the ride was over he was to get two more punctures and was not a happy bunny. The miles ticked by and we treated ourselves to a visit to a DQ in Las Animas after about 85 miles. The wind was quite strong by now and off the right shoulder and swirling so didn't help us at all. We finally reached Lamar, but it was not the sort of place that you would buy a postcard of and our hotel was called The Cow Palace. It was vast and actually quite nice. Best part was it had two computers so I was able to do a bit of admin. and download some photographs. Even though the route was flat the distance was heavy in the heat and I was ready for a rest.
Today's distance was 123.9 miles.