Leg Two: 55.8 Miles (104.2 total)

Not even 10 minutes into this leg, just after leaving the checkpoint and changing into fresh kit, I cross the deepest water to that point, and totally soak my brand new dry socks. Son of a bitch. My brand new, completely DRY and comfortable socks and my Wig’s Wheels kit. Unfortunately I had rolled out and passed the couple of people that were nearby, so I didn’t see anyone ahead of me cross, and it turned out to be a lot deeper than it looked. Also, as luck would have it, I didn’t carry much speed into it, and therefore had to pedal through it, completely submerging not one but both feet underwater as I plowed through. Damn. Luckily it dried out fairly quickly, and wasn’t too much of a mental distraction, which was my main concern. 206 miles is a lot of time to think, and the slightest thing can become an issue if there isn’t anything else to concentrate on. However it dried, and crisis was avoided. For the time being…

Close to 60 miles in, looms is Texaco Hill. I use “looming” loosely as Texaco Hill is 5.6 miles in length, but it only gains 434 feet of elevation. I honestly didn’t realize I was on the climb until it dawned on me that I’d been going uphill for a good ways, and at that point, I was three fourths of the way to the top. That is one thing to be said for living in the Talladega National Forest. I’ll get 400 feet of gain on the first dirt climb, probably more. There was a pretty cool concrete bunker/shelter that was level with the ground with a metal stovepipe sticking out of it. I’m not sure that if it was an emergency shelter during storms for people working on the oil rigs there, but that is my guess.

Here’s another Dirty Kanza first for me. I got a rock stuck in my nose. Huh, wait, what? Yup. A rock. Stuck in my nose. Let me explain: With the race plate on the front on my bike, I was unable to see the lights on my GoPro. At one point, I forgot if I had turned it off or not, so I leaned forward to look. Just at that exact moment, my incredible Panaracer Gravel King SK tire decided to launch a rock at my face. It hit me square in my left nostril. Inside the nose. I didn’t feel it fall out. I rode for a few more pedal turns, and it still felt funny, so I decided to inspect, and yes, I pulled a rock out of my nose. “Save that for later, that’ll make a good story” I thought, and dropped it in my top tube bag. You never know what DK will throw at you, literally.

Rolling into the town of Eureka, I was feeling pretty good, all things considered. All things being the century that I had just completed, and yet I’m still staring down doing yet another century ride before finishing this thing.

The cravings for a BBQ sandwich were undeniable

100 miles in

Unfortunately I had misjudged how far it was to the actual checkpoint in town, assuming that it couldn’t be far, and I was excited to get some real food in me at this point. The cravings for a BBQ sandwich were undeniable. So this spurred on a quite spirited ride through the city streets along with a few other riders undoubtedly thinking the same thing. When the checkpoint finally arrives, I’m looking and asking where the yellow section was, and I keep getting told to go all the way around, all the way around. Umm… ok. Should have studied the maps a little more to see exactly where they are located.

I finally ride all the way around the school and see Allison standing there on the edge of the parking lot under my big black umbrella. Poor Allison, out there sweating her ass off in this hot paved school parking lot, working just as hard as I was, but at least I got to sit down, she’s out there navigating, driving and then setting up everything and waiting on me. Team Benefield for the teamwork win today!

I have a seat at this stop, and Allison makes me not one but two BBQ sandwiches, and this is when I realize that we didn’t have anything readily available to dip the meat with, and that she has used her bare hands, now covered in sauce, to make my sandwiches. Teamwork makes the dream work, damn I love her.

Two sandwiches, a Mountain Dew LiveWire, and a few handfuls of plain potato chips makes a pretty calorie dense meal, and after squeezing into my next fresh kit, I’m off. There are some young girls out cheering and pointing the way to go with their parents, so I do my goofiest dance impression and I twirl my arms around and point left with both hands, right arm and hand over my head and ask them “This way?” and they double over in laughter and giggles. Yeah that’s right, 100 miles in and I still have my wits and humor about me.