That's what I told myself for 40 miles yesterday.
The best way to train for mountains in Florida is to ride into the wind. Well, we have had plenty of opportunity to do that this spring. Has there been a weekend in 4 months with wind speeds less than 10 mph?
Yesterday, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Barry, the winds were WSW at 15-25. We slogged west for 40 miles in the morning, using far too much effort to go 14-15 mph. Let's call that a simulated 40 mile climb on flat terrain.
After that, the rest of the 105 mile ride was not quite as brutal. Turning north gave us a break from the resistance, although the sideways gusts were pretty exciting. I tested my new luggage rack yesterday and was glad I chose to leave the bag off it. Those crosswinds might well have sent me flying into the bushes. Sailing home from Tavares with the hand of Zephyrus on our backs made it all worthwhile! Here's the route.
It was a much more pleasant scenario than last week's 102 mile ride which featured 50 miles of grinding into the headwind coming home. But the wind is my friend... the wind is my friend... the wind is my friend...
