Last Monday I rode my bicycle 100 miles. It took me 6 hours 15 minutes of ride time. I started at 8:45 AM and decided to head north. My turn around point was half a mile north of Maddox restaurant in Perry, Utah. I rode a tailwind all the way out.

I'd planned to be in the vicinity of Maddox for lunch. They had great home brewed root beer and bison burgers. All the way out I looked forward to lunch. It's what kept me fresh and positive. Maddox is closed on Monday.

The wind was blowing from the south as I made the turn for home. My first stop was at a little park in Willard. I had some Gu and a salted nut roll for lunch, along with the usual gator juice. I rested for 20 minutes in the shade of some big trees.

The return trip was brutal. Starting out the wind was almost imperceptible. I chose to go north because, 1) I really wanted to go north; and 2) the wind didn't seem to be much of a factor. I seem to have these experiences of going out into a headwind and then fighting a headwind back. Way too often I've seen the wind change midway through my ride. It also occurs to me that the only way to get a tailwind both ways is to begin with a tailwind. Pretty obvious!

So, I was hoping that the wind would change and give me blow-home wind. Or, at the very least that the wind would remain slight and not be a factor. The wind blew into my face. Hard. Going out took 2 hours 45 minutes. Going back took 45 minutes longer. Thank you, headwind.

At the local bike shop my friends were more impressed than I expected. "You did a solo century? That's cool." was the shop owner's reaction.

I've learned a valuable lesson. Don't ride to Perry on Monday. At least not if I want to have a good lunch.........
4:02:21 PM    comment []