Blowin' in the Wind...

I rode outside for the 3rd time this year on Saturday. It was supposed to be a nice day (15 and sunny) but apparently the town of Bolton didn't get that weather update. It was probably about 6-7 out with a NASTY wind out of the west at 25 + /kmh. Oh ya, it was ugly. Our route was going to take us north a bit up some gradual hills and then west into the wind AND up a whole bunch more hills that weren't so gradual. To top it off, we were riding with Tara Norton (a professional triathlete) well, I shouldn't really say we were riding *with* her. Maybe for the first 2 minutes in the parking lot after that she became a speck on the horizon. The ride out was challenging to say the least. But not as difficult as the first time I rode that route. Now THAT was messy. The really fun part came when we got out on to Old Baseline road where there was absolutely NO shelter. There were several points where I thought I was going to get blown right off my bike. I had to ride my bike at an angle to keep from being blown over and to maintain control of my bike! Once we got back into the hills, we were a bit more sheltered to the wind wasn't so bad. At least we were going to have the wind at our backs on the way back. At least that's what I thought. Unfortunately by the time we got back on to Old Baseline Road on the way back, the wind had slightly changed direction and was blowing almost straight out of the north. So once again, I had to hold on to my bike for dear life. I don't think I have ever been so scared before! The wind was THAT strong. I almost went down when a gust caught my front fork. My hands were cramped by the time we stopped at Airport road. It was a bit of an adventure to say the least. But, despite the wind and the hills, I still managed to cover 82.7 km in 3 hours and 27 minutes. So, I was pretty pleased with myself. Sure my heart rate was in zone 3 or over for about 90% of the ride but, I perservered with little whining. It was good preparation for South Carolina. Speaking of which, this time next week, I will be riding my bike in the mountains! I'm sure by the time I get back I will have a new definition for the word "wedgie"