Training: 13 days 'til start

Only went 130 km (81 miles) today--out Ruta 8 until the Ruta 9 fork. 5:30 hours, 24 km/h (15 mph). It was the worst weather I've ridden in since my bike messenger days in Boston like 25 years ago. On the way out there were headwinds with strong cross gusts. Combined with the trucks, cold, and heavy rain much of the time, it was absolutely miserable. The huge wind-driven raindrops actually stung! The way back at least I had the tailwind and could pick up the pace to over 30 km/h. I admit to taking quite a few extra breaks in the covered bus stops along the way, though.

I figure there are bound to be days like this on the trip, so it's good practice. And 81 miles isn't so far off the 95 mile average we'll be covering. I'm training solo so am getting no help against the wind so each mile I train is equivalent to say 1.25 on the trip where there are a dozen others to share the load, or at least that's what I'm hoping. Anyway, I liked the awed looks and comments I got. (Or were they all just thinking how crazy I was to be out in the storm?)

No way I was going to risk iPhone photos in the rain, so I'm posting a crappy picture I took on an earlier day. But I did finish listening to Chris Anderson's book FREE: the Future of a Radical Price and got started on Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. It's an unabridged translation and the reading takes 60 hours so I'll be on that one for a while. Loved the hours-long description of the saintly Monsignor Bienvenue that Hugo starts out with. I highly recommend audio books as an alternative to just listening to music (which I also love, of course). A spellbinding narration makes the miles melt away, especially when you're feeling tired and can't wait to get home. And, hey, the ear buds keep the ears warm and dry!

Happy biking!!