Feb-01: Blustery Day 204-km Perm

Q.:  On a flat, out-and-back course, when do you know you're in for some serious "fun" in the wind? 

A.:  When, on the outbound leg, you're zipping along at 3 to 4 mph above your normal pace ... and you're bare-ly pe-da-ling.


That pretty much describes the day.

Some details:

• 4 1/2 hours outbound, including the 16-minute intermediate control stop, 
• 1/2 hour lunch stop, 
• just under 5 hours to return, including the ~ 15 minutes intermediate control stop and the ~ 10 minute extra stop. 
• Wind at enough of an angle off the port bow on the return that there was no benefit to following -- the wind "shadow" was somewhere over in the ditch (a little too much traffic in certain places to ride the wide echelon that would have been required). 
• Easy to engage in conversation outbound.  More difficult inbound. 
• Very sunny most of the time.  Completely overcast some of the time. 
• Nice temps for Feb-01 (even by central NC standards). 

I've ridden in tougher wind (I am from NW Illinois, after all); MikeH has ridden in tougher wind.  But the SSW wind on the Showdown in Black Creek on the first of February was plenty enough for each of us, thank-you very much.

R-19 in the books for me.
R-16 for Mike.

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Feb-01:  

Showdown in Black Creek 204-km Perm; 127.0 m.; 8h25 in-motion; 15.1 mph; official rando time -- 9h56 .  

Jan tot: __6 rides; __426.2 m.; _28 h, 52 m; 14.8 mph. 

Feb tot: __1 rides; __127.0 m.; __8 h, 25 m; 15.1 mph. 

YTD tot: __7 rides; __553.3 m.; _37 h, 17 m; 14.8 mph. 
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In addition to being R-19 for me, this ride also made C-24 and M-36 for me. 
I.e., 24 consecutive months with at least one ride of at least 100-miles, and 
36 consecutive months with  at least one ride of at least 100-kms.