DAY 9 – Turpin Meadow Ranch to Pinedale (120.9miles)

It’s straight into a good climb out of the lodge over Togwotee pass. Josh is quickly off the back as usual, but we see him again at a store half way up, only to watch him slowly disappear off the back again. On the descent at some road works we get in the pilot car for one mile. It doesn’t bother me; I’ve done enough extras anyway.

Bruce, Matt and I stop for lunch at the Sawmill restaurant on Union Pass and Josh catches up again just as we are starting our meals. We all leave together and continue the climb in good spirits thinking about the hot waitress. In fact she crops up quite a lot in conversation for the next few days. The road surface is loose gravel and the going is very tough indeed. Josh is immediately off the back again (Sorry, Josh). I never know whether as Josh drops back it will be the last time I will see him, but then after so much time on the road together I always see us finishing together too.

The descent off Union Pass is pretty brutal with washboard and little rain gullies on the bends. After 90 miles I’m very happy to hit some pavement for the last 30 miles into Pinedale. At the dirt pavement interface we meet some very heavily laden tourers heading north on the Great Divide. They have met all the racers ahead of us and give us brief reports of where and when. It’s really good to get some solid news of where other riders are.

Twenty-five miles from Pinedale is The Place Café which serves me up a superb salmon roll on rice; a good change from the limited American menus of burger and chips. I also get a ‘large’ Coke, which must be a gallon. I make my call in to MTBcast outside and the mosquitoes try to eat me alive. From here it’s an easy pavement stretch into Pinedale in the dark. I find a motel with Bruce and Matt and wonder where Josh will be sleeping tonight.