108 miles from Furnace Creek to Scotty's Castle. I was apprehensive, but ready! The weather was beautiful at 6:00 AM when we all gathered for our dynamic warm-up, then rolled out at 6:15.
Ride profile: 54 miles each way (out and back) of mostly flat roads, up until the last 15 miles leading toward Scotty's Castle, which covers 2000 feet of elevation (the apex is around 3000 ft). Then, you turn around and FLY back downhill the second half of the ride.
Only it didn't quite work out so well. By the time we came down from Scotty's Castle (feeling strong and energized), the wind was starting to pick up. We were told that the remaining riders, those who hadn't yet reached the summit, were being told to turn back. (Turn back now, Dorothy! And your little dog, too!)
I rode with Jill, who was doing her first century. She was fun to ride with, since we're of about the same ability and we both were from cold climates. She reminds me of Jackie (wish you were here, Jackie!), and she was good company.
However, I have to say that, apart from Jill's company, there was nothing even remotely enjoyable about this ride. For all of our efforts to work together on the descents, the wind was so strong (we're guessing 45 mph gusts, and a steady 30 or so mph head/cross wind ALL the way back) that we were never able to coast, even when the elevation dipped sharply. Trying to grab a drink or a Gu or a snotrag was completely out of the question. At 10 miles from the finish, we saw a dust storm rising from the salt pan, and sand was spewing into our faces. We made it to mile 103 before we decided we were no match for Mother Nature. Luckily, the tour truck was right there when we needed them!
All told, I was on the bike for almost 9 hours (ironically, I made better time on the ascent then I did on the way home). There were only 15 people at yoga this afternoon. I'm thinking of selling my bike and switching to something less brutal, like wing-walking...
(By the way, Dave rode 61 miles, and got back before the wind became ridiculous. Smart guy...)
Maybe its time for that motorcycle!
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