Stage 5 - Blowin' in the Wind

57 miles could have been a relatively easy ride if not for the gail force winds that were blowing today. 28 mph, gusting to 40. Because there is nothing worse than getting to your halfway point and hitting a headwind for a long ride home, I usually head out into the winds. Today that meant going west and north in a zig zag pattern. West and north from my house means hills. Lots of hills. By the time I hit the turn-around point I was shattered. What I had hoped would be a quick and easy wind-driven ride home turned into a bit of a deathmarch. I ate and drank as much as I could stomach to no avail. Dead legs, pounding head and psychologically wasted. For you readers in Wisconsin, tell me - has it been a very windy month or is it just me?

I see this dead cat on the side of the road (no, not an overdosed jazz musician), and think to myself, "Yes, that's just how I feel".

Misery loves company

The only fun thing that happened was when I stopped at a fueling depot for some water. I was standing astride my bike by the fuel pumps emptying the trash from my pockets. A guy getting gas on the other side of the pump looks at me, looks at my bike and in all seriousness asks, "Where do you put gas in that thing?". I smiled, pointed at my mouth and rolled away. The only smile of the entire ride.


I often think that it would be fun to have a Powertap, one of those devices that can calculate your power output. I'd like to see what kind of additional power is required when riding into a stiff wind. It would also be fun to be able to compare workload from one ride to the next. Instead of thinking about mileage a guy could think in terms of work. 57 miles in today's wind was certainly more work than the 73 mile stage. Anyone out there want to loan Elvis a Powertap to review? I'll write a fine review and then give it back to you, really I will.

The only thing that got me through today's stage were the fans that continue to line the race route.

If only they could jump the fence and give me a push