Garmin Data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/145794693

As the saying goes — You don’t get anything for free! That was true with my ride today. You rarely get a warm day in January without wind. Last weekend was one of those rare exceptions and it would have been really amazing if we were treated to the same conditions today.

No such luck. Oh well, I was going to ride anyway. It wasn’t snowing and it wasn’t cold (it had to be 50-60 degrees!) and the wind was fairly steady instead of gusty.  That, and after my fine ride yesterday morning with Blue Sky Velo at the velodrome I wanted to get outside and back into the fresh air. I also wanted to get in a nice recovery ride because yesterday was quite a workout. It is a bit harder to get a recovery ride in when the wind is forcing you to bear down. My approach was to limit my reaction to ‘rabbits’ and not take on any ‘Strava segments’ on my ride. I figured that would dial me back enough that I could call it a recovery ride. I also had a feeling that even if I wanted to ride hard, my legs wouldn’t let me.  They definitely were thinking recovery ride!

Check out the clouds - winds really messes with them!

As warm as it was, seemed funny to see ice on this pond.

The wind was mostly out of the west — with a little component out of either the north or south depending on the moment. It was most apparent when I would be struggling along at 10-12 mph and the riders coming the other way were FLYING! There were not very many other riders out today. I’d say that I saw fewer than 20 cyclists – and most of them seemed to be couples. I imagined that they started out before the winds picked up when it was warm and calm. There were also a few cyclists that looked pretty hardcore.  One competitive rider who I’ve seen out before caught  me as we rode up the Hog’s Back — he came out of nowhere really — and although he was working and breathing hard, he still passed by going a few mph faster than I was. I watched him open a gap and even if I’d tried, there was no staying with that guy.

Clear as a bell - Longs Peak was quite the sight.

On the home stretch of my ride — after I came off the Hog’s Back and started back south towards home — I rode with a couple who were from Boulder. They still had quite a ride in front of them and by this time the wind was actually getting worse. So, I took the front and I pulled them for a couple of miles . Then I dropped back — reminding myself that this was a recovery ride! They continued on and I spun the rest of the way home — well, as much as you can spin into cross/head wind!

Yup -- there really was a "stiff breeze" today!