Chris and I set out on our planned 75 mile ride as the sun was cresting the horizon. It is a very pleasant feeling to see our friend, Mr. Sun, awake and up. Despite chillier than expected starting conditions, we knew Mr. Sun would warm us up in no time at all. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
As we turned onto Hwy 36 leaving Milwaukee in our dust, we met our adversary for the day, Mr. Wind! Normally, wind is not that big of an issue; however, the wind was blowing from the WSW, which is the same direction we were heading on Hwy 36. Yay for headwinds on unprotected roads! While neither Chris nor I will be challenging for victory on the Champs-Elysees any time in the near future, we are not slouches on the bike. Mr. Wind continually beat us down, forcing us to stay in our small chain rings longer than anticipated. By the time we finally hit East Troy, Chris made the executive decision to turn back instead of battling with Mr. Wind for another 5-10 miles. To this point, we were averaging in the mid-upper 16s. Ouch!
This turn transformed our enemy, Mr. Wind, into our friend. We found ourselves suddenly spinning along in excess of 24 mph with minimal effort. Way better than getting blasted in the face going uphill at 10 mph! This reprieve allowed for us to enjoy the remaining 30+ miles of our ride, taking in some sites never before seen.
On our final run-in to Waukesha, we encountered a stretch with some wicked cross-wind. Thankfully, I was able to keep my deep rimmed wheels upright on the decent into Frostbite Falloff, whose name does not seem to fit when Mr. Sun has come out to play. We also managed to make a new friend, Polly the Possum. She is a delightful addition to our merry group of critters. You can find her on Cleveland Ave near Hwy 164, in case you want to say "Hello!".
The final stretch of the ride was rather easy, causing us to reconsider if it would have been better to add on those extra 10 miles. Then we remembered, if we hurry, we can still make it in time for McDonald's breakfast. Sausage McMuffin, mmmm! Our final average speed was back in the mid 18s, which is roughly where we expected it to be at the outset prior to engaging in our epic battle with Mr. Wind. Due to the mental beat-down we took on Hwys 36 and 20, no city/county limit signs were contested.
Be sure to join myself and some of the other Emerys' riders at the Milwaukee shop at 7am for a great ride!
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