Unfortunately, the forecast for today was bang on: very strong winds. As we ate our breakfast this morning at 7 AM, there was not a breath of wind ruffling the palm trees around the pool. According to Petrina, the wind started precisely at 7:30 AM. We all met with our bikes at 8:30 AM and were pleased to be joined by a guest cyclist , Renzo, Petrina's dad.
Christine and Kathy talking about the wind before the ride.
The winds were not too bad initially (because we had the tail wind we didn't notice), but seemed to be building by the minute. We aborted our 80 kms. ride plan and instead started off with a shorter loop. What Petrina did not tell us is that the loop included lots of climbing (but not as much as tomorrow's 3500 feet of climbing!)
Here's a quick video from today:
However, some of the riders accidentally missed the turn to a meet-up spot and after 3 miles of downhill, realized that they missed the turn. We were patiently waiting for them....and waiting....as the wind got stronger and stronger. Despite the warm temperature, we started to get cold in the wind and the dust started to sting our faces. Petrina went looking for the lost souls while we headed back to the resort. Our lost riders only put in an extra 12 kms. And showed up about 1/2 hour later.
Lunch was in Cave Creek, at a great coffee cafe, The Grotto Cafe in Cave Creek. The town is an interesting place....western shops, gun shops,. Western bar/pubs and lots of motorcycles. Oh did we mention that it is Arizona Motorbike Week in Cave Creek?
As I write this, we are enjoying pre-dinner libations and awaiting our massages. Oh what a rough time we are having! Off to a western /motorcycle pub called Harold's Corral tonight to experience some local flavour .
Tomorrow we head out on a 110 km ride with lots of climbing and gentle winds, but we'll be rewarded with the best Gelato this side of New York.
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