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Today’s ride was a beautiful start even with a few climbs towards the beginning. There were spectacular and picturesque views for nearly the first 30 to 40 miles. We came out of the hills towards the interstate somewhere after that and were met with a wall of wind that was relentless.
For nearly 15 to 20 miles, we had a headwind that made riding feel like climbing. Our average speeds had been somewhere between 18 and 24 miles per hour until we hit the headwinds and we were knocked down to about 11 to 12 miles per hour. It was brutal. Thankfully, the stretch was punctuated with a delicious lunch, but it was hard to get back out on the road again and think of taking on the wind. We did it anyway.
Through the entire stretch, we rode in a pace-line and took turns with the five us pulling for anywhere from 1/2 to a mile each. The group I rode with today was a bit stronger, and I found myself off the back of the train several times trying to catch up having me lose the benefits of the pace-line because I wasn’t able to draft at any point.
Our persistence was rewarded with stretches of side-winds and even a few tailwinds. By the time we were up in the miles – somewhere around 90 miles at the final rest stop before we hit the last stretch – we were pretty defeated and tired. We had a nine-mile stretch of interstate riding ahead of us which gave us both headwinds and tailwinds.
Once off the interstate, some of my fellow riders gunned it to the finish at the hotel. I took it easy – still rolling at about 18 miles per hour – and coasted in. I felt no compulsion to arrive early at the Super 8 motel in Columbus, Montana. I can appreciate their desire to simply be off the bike, but I knew that I had put a lot on my legs during the day and wanted to give them a little break.
Our Day Sixteen ride is, thankfully, only 90 miles. Yes, 20 miles less can seem like a gift. Going to take it easy and give my legs some recovery today given the 20 mile climb we have on Day Seventeen.