Ride 11 - With the Wind

On the Lower Yahara River boardwalk. 6/9/24

 Sunday was sunny and warm with a persistent breeze. The weather system was blowing out of the northwest between 10 and 15 miles per hour with gusts up to 30.

 That forecast persuaded me to ride from Verona to McFarland with a loop around McFarland to reach my mileage goal.

 I figured the wind would be at my back on the ride east and likely slow me down coming back.

 11:10 I headed down the driveway. There was a steady breeze behind me as I headed down Cross Country road, when I turned right the wind gusts got me.

Thankfully, that was a short stretch, the rest of the way east I cranked through the gears, making the 17-mile ride to  McFarland in an hour. I wanted to get some extra miles in McFarland so I made a 4-mile loop plus another 1.5 miles to a lemonade stand.

A low price and a tasty product! 6/9/24 dwm

The stand was n the crest of a hill after my turn, where I saw a young man holding a sign and icy pitchers on a table. I waved and said I'd see him on my next loop.

At the time, I thought I'd need to make two loops to reach the right mileage, but better than that, all I needed after completing one loop was riding up to the stand, where I gladly paid $1 (a surprisingly good price) and savored the glass. He let me get a picture of his advertising, then I headed home.

There were a few places where the wind slowed me down; in others the wind was head-on but the aerodynamics of the recumbent helped me out.  The return trip was slower, but with an overall average speed of 15.6, I was pleasantly surprised.  Trip 11 was 41 miles, getting me to 404 for the season.