Northern Transcon Day 10 - Bozeman to Columbus MT

Not a real hilly day, but another hot afternoon brought its own challenges.  We did make it in before a thunderstorm rolled through.  There was more marvelous scenery, but a good amount of riding on the shoulder of I-90 (due to no alternative route), coupled with many miles on frontage roads.  Most of the frontage roads had excellent pavement and were a welcome break from the interstate traffic.

The next two days will be among the most difficult of the tour, with several thousand feet of climbing in Wyoming.  For me at least, the assurance from Susan that riders generally get stronger after a week has worked out.  I usually ride most days with Jack from Colorado, a PAC Tour veteran.  Turns out we have some mutual friends from cycling.

Frontage road on the way to Bozeman Pass

Bridger Mountain range in background

There was no shortage of breathtaking scenery in Montana

Frontage roads were generally low traffic

Yellowstone River

Yellowstone River

Montana has 80 mph speed limit on interstate highways.

Interstate shoulder riding - not for the faint of heart.  There is a rumble strip separating the traffic lane from the shoulder.

Impressive looking butte

Bronze statue of CM Russell at the Big Timber visitor center, where we had a rest stop

Pretty cloud formation

Historical marker at our final rest stop for the day

This was a particularly bad section of several miles on I-90, where the shoulder was being resurfaced.  Many of us had gravel wedge between the brake caliper and tire.  Fortunately one lane was closed to traffic so we rode on that until the construction zone ended.  Many riders had flat tires today due to the amount of riding on the interstate shoulder, which collects a lot of sharp stones, broken glass, etc.