After a couple of hot days, the temperature dipped to a high of 21 deg C over the the weekend. Today's weather was better than Saturday's - no rain. So I headed out for a long ride that I recce'd a few days ago. It drizzled when I left the apartment, but soon cleared up for a sunny ride.
The ride through Adelaide city was uneventful, though there were a few traffic lights to negotiate. Traffic was light for Sunday afternoon. As I reached the Henley Beach, it was really bright and sunny. 12 km to HB. Went up north. The road along Military Road was nice and fast, especially along West Lakes. Good speed about 30 kph, at my favorite gear combination and high cadence.
Turning into the historic coastal Esplanade road, it was a little slower with many roundabouts and a big carnival. The last stretch Lady Gowrie Road was fast - easily above 30 kph, and at stretches, reaching about 40 kph. Wow, I thought I was getting better....
However, the truth hit home when I turned around. Immediately encountered strong headwinds. The strongest I'd ever experienced. The closest was along the Lakeshore in Chicago. Each strong gust of wind veered the bike off line. It took full focus just keeping the bike under control. Had to go slow... crawling at 15 to 20 kph. All 10+ km.
Decided to turn off earlier at Grange Road where the wind was a little better. Later I found out that it was a 37 kph SW wind. Sure took its toll on me.
After a gel break, I felt better and managed the last 15 km. Got a little lost on the way back, and took the river track back. A nice long ride. It had been a while since I went above 50 km.
30 minutes after getting home, it rained again. What a weekend. What an experience riding against strong headwinds. No wonder I didn't see many cyclists out this afternoon.
Lesson learnt - check weather conditions AND wind conditions before riding. :)
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