however, I did have to stop midway down a descent because the crosswinds had me absolutely terrified. I could feel them pushing me further and further out into the road (which would be the lane for cars) and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it: I was scared. so I braked more strongly, wavered over to the shoulder, and stopped, watching the tall grasses in the meadow to my right be whipped into a near horizontal position. after just a bit I decided the wind wasn't going to stop, and I needed to somehow get past this wind-whipped meadow and down the darn hill. so, I kept my left foot clipped in, my right foot unclipped, and rolled forward, using my right foot to tap the ground every five feet or so in an effort to keep me moving and upright simultaneously.
the road curved, the meadow was behind me, and I finally felt safe enough to clip back in and ride down the rest of the hill.
that was new experience number one.
I have never before had to completely stop my bike because the wind was so terrifyingly terrific. I've been close to that point, but not until yesterday did I actually reach that point.
new experience number two: climbing up north ogden pass. may I just say, ow. as in, that is one steep hill. short, yes, but ridiculously steep. especially when you hit it after you've got ninety or so miles up already.
new experience number three: riding the frontrunner train from ogden back to salt lake.
no, this was not part of the original plan, but hey, flexibility is the thing to possess.
all in all it wasn't really a death ride, but I hope it was another significant training piece. the countdown has begun, and two weeks from today it will be all over, one way or another.
I plan to enjoy the rest of my taper, my lotoja ride, and the rest of my season.
whatever that entails.
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