Leg 2 Day 16 - The day I fought the wind!

Today was one of my toughest days - I left 2 hours later than I intended which really messed up the day.

I've found that the winds really come up about noon.... I had checked the weather for today but could only get a weather forecast out of Santa Rosa not Los Ojitos or Porta De Luna.... the weather forecast was for 12 - 14 mph winds out of the west / northwest which meant they'd be straight on head winds. I rode in a 17 mph headwind a couple of weeks ago and it was my toughest day up to that point.

Well, when I cleared the Hideaway and crossed the 1st cattleguard on 203, I realized I was in for a challenge because I felt the wind right in my face and it was at least 20 mph.

I later asked a couple of the locals I met on 203 what they thought the wind speed was... and all replied 25 - 30 mph.

I simply could not make forward progress in my lowest gear in that kind of wind without maximum effort, so I ended up pedaling till nearly dark and only averaging about 4 mph.... a fast walk.

Plus I was on a caliche road... not pavement...doesn't sound like a big deal, but with 60# of gear in a 30 mph headwind, it was the last nail in the coffin.

Once the sun went down and I entered Porta De Luna in the dark and got back on pavement I was able to average about 8 - 9 mph so I rode on into Santa Rosa where I'm at now.

Unfortunately, I could only view the cliffs and canyons of Porta De Luna in the dark so I didn't get to enjoy their beauty.

This was one of those days that was grueling physically and mentally.

What do I do on days like this? I find a pace I can sustain and I sustain it.... everyday is not a breakaway.... some days are just slow grinds.

This was the slowest of grinds....Coy Wilson - the Cowboy who stopped and talked to me said he'd been following my tracks for several miles and I was weaving from one side of the road to the other....

I told him I was having to zig zag back and forth across the road to create enough angle into the wind to actually sustain forward motion.... that's no bull!

I probably should have turned around and headed back to SLSP after I felt the force of the wind, but I guess it's just that stubborn streak in me that says "OK Wind - you wanna make it hard for me.... let's just see what you got...."

Well - let me tell you the Wind had plenty.... I pedaled continuously with no more than 30 minutes total for stops for 8 hrs and 20 minutes to go 42 miles.... that's about 5 mph... hell you can jog that fast!

Who won in the end... Me or the Wind?

Let's just call it a draw and leave it at that....

End of Day Totals:


Leg 2
Day 16
Date Wed, 01/13/10
From Sumner Lake State Park
To Santa Rosa NM
This Day's Miles Cycled = 42
This Leg Total Miles Cycled = 577
This Day's Miles Walked = 1
This Leg Total Miles Walked = 48
Discovering America on 2 Wheels Total Miles Cycled = 1087
Discovering America on 2 Wheels Total Miles Walked = 76
Discovering America on 2 Wheels Total Miles Cycled & Walked = 1163