Wind Blown And Plan B

Wind

Monday Mark and I set out for a road ride after work. South seemed the best way to avoid traffic, construction and boring roads. Only problem was, the wind was blowing south.

We motored along the I-15 frontage road and hit 53 mph down the south side of The Point. It was a kick to roll that fast, but we knew we'd pay for it soon.

Turning west the gusty cross wind brought to mind the very real possibility of being blown into the path of passing cars. We were leaning to counteract the sideways force of the wind.

Then we turn north, into the teeth of the wind. Wow, it was strong. Had to be 20 mph or more. The wind clawed at us as it roared past. I was working hard and couldn't escape single-digit speeds. The worst was going up the hill to Camp Williams - double whammy, wind and climb.

Thankfully the descent on the north side allowed double-digit speeds.

24 miles in 1.5 hours.

For some reason my legs felt good and I was able to plug along with cramping. And strangely enough, I liked the ride. Something about adverse weather makes rides memorable, even fondly so.


Plan B

Today Mark and I planned to ride Glenwild. It's only been dry a week or two and word is it's in prime condition. But on his way over Mark saw an electronic highway sign warning of 50 minute delays up Parleys due to construction. We considered the odds and our options and decided to play it safe and ride Millcreek (we were already there).

It was hot riding up the road. At Burch Hollow we jumped on the trail - the shade was welcome.

Up the switchbacks and climbs then the relative flat last section to Elbow Fork.

We went up the road to see what the upper trail head looked like. We encountered snow on the road the last half mile. We had to walk across 3-4 snow piles. Quite a bit of debris on the road, doesn't look enticing for the road bike.

At the end of the road we went up the new Little Water trail. I guess it was put in last year. Pretty nice trail. We only got 1/2 mile or so before coming to flowing water down the trail. And just ahead was a raging creek crossing. We zipped back down the trail.

I tried to plow across the snow piles, but only made one, with some dabs. With snow and water on the road we got wet. And it was shady. And we were going fast. So it was actually cold going down.

Jumped back on the trail at Elbow Fork. It may be tame, but it's still a fun trail. Everything was green and the air smelled fresh and clean.

We dropped Rattlesnake Gulch. I flubbed one switchback. Otherwise a good descent.

Took the road back to Dans and the ride was done. 2 hours and 40 minutes. Plan B was very good.


Bonus: Stelvio

Adam recently asked, if you could win one race, what would it be? Being the race grouch I said I'd rather just go someplace cool to ride.

But I'm not completely devoid of racing spirit, so I first thought of the famous Alpe d'Huez climb. But over the last 2 years the Giro has made such an impression on me I did a little searching for famous Giro stages. I was blown away when I saw photos of the Stelvio, like this one:


(I found this photo here.)

Wow.

That's my pick - to win the Stelvio stage of the Giro.

To see more photos of the Stelvio, look at this collection on the way up.

I dream of cycling in Italy. It used to be France, but Italy has won me over. A sizable windfall of cash right now would be fantastic.