33.8 miles, 865 feet climbed
We are now due north of Big Bend National Park.
Epic Ride Weather predicted strong crosswinds/headwinds for today with a tailwind component near the route’s end. It was all I could do to maintain a 10 mph pace at the beginning. Ultimately the crosswinds, said to be 30 mph, gusting stronger, were too much from a safety standpoint when the shoulders narrowed to 2 feet wide. Who wants to be blown into a ditch?
Once I decided that, I rode on only far enough to find a spot where the van could safely pick me up. A little over half of the other riders made the same choice. While waiting for the van, we had to lay our bikes down or hold on lest they blow away.
We shuttled forward to the designated lunch stop. At that location the winds were less strong but still enough to blow chips off of our plates. Everyone opted to get back on the road after lunch. Initially we encountered more cross/headwinds but for a while they turned into a tailwind that allowed me to cruise between 20 and 24 mph
