So by the time I reached the Lewis and Clarke Bridge just outside Longview, I'd hit roughly 55miles and was feeling every day I'd sat in the library and not done anything sporty in the past term. My legs were ok on the flat but jelly otherwise, and with the headwind the past 10miles or so, even the flat was iffy for my legs.

Then we get to the bridge, which is not that long, but half uphill and half nicely down. Or so I thought as I laboured my way up to the highest point of the bridge.

It was downhill, but it was also the first time there was a narrow, unswept shoulder filled with bark and other logging debris. Add this to crosswinds and being buffeted by the cars which overtook closely (since they too only jad one narrow lane), and it didn't quite make for the fun descent I was hoping for.

By the time I got to the warmshowers host, my legs felt like jelly after 'only' 60miles, and reasonably flat ones at that. So how quickly can I get fit for the Rockies? 😰

In more positive news, I found out that my bike computer is even smarter than I thought. It lets me switch between km and miles whenver I want so I can watch one until I get bored/need a read on how far a place is - that really cuts down on any dodgy mental maths.