… a day for surfers, but not for cyclists :)

Starting at 4.45 clock.

… It could have been such a beautiful day. I dove into the vastness of the country, ready for a “normal” cycling day down the streets of Colorado.
After I had biked up a high plateau, it seemed like I faced a wall all of the sudden.  20% slope and a downslope wind like I’ve rarely ever experienced before. It was crazy.

Fortunately, I had just asked my team to wait for me about 15km down the road. It seemed as if I was going backwards; despite enormous efforts my odometer only went up to 10 km/h. The wind forced me to go right or left and really shook me up, hence I needed far more than an hour to conquer those 15km. I think all of you, especially cyclists, know what I’m talking about.
When I arrived at the mobile home we tried the option called “windscreen”. Though I was all over that idea in the beginning, I soon had to realized that it wouldn’t work out in the long term. We, Markus as the driver of the mobile home, Andrea as observer, and myself riding right behind the vehicle, really had to focus which led to extreme exhaustion (see photo). In addition, I was constantly near the exhaust of the vehicle. After 50 km I was more than glad that this unpleasant experience had come to an end. We approached shallower regions with significantly less wind. My legs, however, did not appreciate this extreme situation and I quickly realized that I would not be able to set a speed record today. I biked the remaining distance as if in trance. Conclusion: today’s job is done – and so am I

See you soon …