Yesterday was very challenging but also very rewarding and left me on a high.
Today's riding has brought me back down to earth with a bump. Me and the wind have had a major falling out. We're finished.
I afforded myself a late start today, thinking to myself 'it's only 55 miles'! And yesterday was a long day so a bit of extra rest was deserved.
Departing late (at 10) was the first mistake though, especially as the wind got stronger and stronger all day.
As soon as I set off it was there, against me it seemed, no matter which direction the road twisted and turned.
It got steadily worse and worse. After 4.5 hours I made it to the first and only pass, by the skin of my teeth. It was really strong - I averaged 6mph to that point. 6mph average over 4.5 hours!!!!!!!!
Once the pass was reached i hoped things would improve but they didn't. Normally once you start going downhill you get to freewheel and rest a bit. If I tried freewheeling down this mountain I would have stopped rolling forwards and started going backwards.
The whole ride truly sucked. I gave in 10 miles before the end and hitched into Cedar in a big 4x4. I'm not ashamed. I tried my best but it beat me. Had I known how strong the wind would be today I would have stayed at home.
There will be good and bad days I suppose :)
I'm really struggling to make a decision on my next move. My ultimate route is heading east from Cedar City through Panguitch, Boulder, Grover, Hanksville, Dolores, Placerville, Pueblo etc, etc, however,
Zion National Park and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon are about 60 miles and 200 miles south of my current location. That's nothing in the big scheme of things but still a big detour on a bike.
Option 1 - ride the round trip to Zion, Grand Canyon then back to Cedar City. This is the most expensive option as it's a round trip of at least a week and accommodation in both Zion and GC gets very expensive.
Option 2 - drive it and get a taster of both in 2 days and 1 night - Then come back to Cedar, collect my bike and continue the journey.
Option 3 - skip it. Save money and time but I will be gutted to miss both.
It's a nice dilemma.
To add to the mix it might be stormy tomorrow - I don't want to be out in the middle of nowhere on a bike experiencing a repeat of today, but chucking in some rain and lightening.
Any opinions will be taken into account.
Only picture today is some dust being picked up by the wind in the distance. Driving through it was crazy. A compete white out for 30 seconds and the driver decided not to slow down! Scary.
Today's riding has brought me back down to earth with a bump. Me and the wind have had a major falling out. We're finished.
I afforded myself a late start today, thinking to myself 'it's only 55 miles'! And yesterday was a long day so a bit of extra rest was deserved.
Departing late (at 10) was the first mistake though, especially as the wind got stronger and stronger all day.
As soon as I set off it was there, against me it seemed, no matter which direction the road twisted and turned.
It got steadily worse and worse. After 4.5 hours I made it to the first and only pass, by the skin of my teeth. It was really strong - I averaged 6mph to that point. 6mph average over 4.5 hours!!!!!!!!
Once the pass was reached i hoped things would improve but they didn't. Normally once you start going downhill you get to freewheel and rest a bit. If I tried freewheeling down this mountain I would have stopped rolling forwards and started going backwards.
The whole ride truly sucked. I gave in 10 miles before the end and hitched into Cedar in a big 4x4. I'm not ashamed. I tried my best but it beat me. Had I known how strong the wind would be today I would have stayed at home.
There will be good and bad days I suppose :)
I'm really struggling to make a decision on my next move. My ultimate route is heading east from Cedar City through Panguitch, Boulder, Grover, Hanksville, Dolores, Placerville, Pueblo etc, etc, however,
Zion National Park and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon are about 60 miles and 200 miles south of my current location. That's nothing in the big scheme of things but still a big detour on a bike.
Option 1 - ride the round trip to Zion, Grand Canyon then back to Cedar City. This is the most expensive option as it's a round trip of at least a week and accommodation in both Zion and GC gets very expensive.
Option 2 - drive it and get a taster of both in 2 days and 1 night - Then come back to Cedar, collect my bike and continue the journey.
Option 3 - skip it. Save money and time but I will be gutted to miss both.
It's a nice dilemma.
To add to the mix it might be stormy tomorrow - I don't want to be out in the middle of nowhere on a bike experiencing a repeat of today, but chucking in some rain and lightening.
Any opinions will be taken into account.
Only picture today is some dust being picked up by the wind in the distance. Driving through it was crazy. A compete white out for 30 seconds and the driver decided not to slow down! Scary.
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