Well day 8 has been a right battle… altitude, wind and dehydration due to lack of amenities have taken their toll on Brian’s mileage today.
A handy bike shop allowed for replacement of by now manky water bottles, gloves and socks and the addition of some supplementary lights as it became apparent that today’s ride wasn’t going to end in daylight…
Brian has now reached 1652 miles (out of 4300 miles race distance) and is still at an altitude of just below 7000ft.
The effects of high altitude on humans are considerable. The percentage oxygen saturation of haemoglobin determines the content of oxygen in blood. After the human body reaches around 2,100 m (7,000 feet) above sea level, the saturation of oxyhemoglobin begins to plummet.
At 7000ft, the standard barometric pressure is 79 kPa (595 mmHg). This means that there is 78% of the oxygen available at sea level.
Brian has stopped for the night in Rawlins in Wyoming; the town is best known for “Rawlins Red” a red pigment containing hematite, an oxide of iron that was mined near Rawlins. Paint containing Rawlins Red has anti-rust properties and is thought to have been used as the original paint on the Brooklyn Bridge.
More importantly there is a Burger King for our man…
