Just curious to find out who got out this weekend? Anyone do the Parkside Crit in Kenosha, WI?

I got out in the +30 mph wind on Sunday for the Wheelman <a href=http://www.wheelmen.com/pats.htm>St. Pat's ride</a>. Going East with the wind was great! 25-30 mph cruising on the rolling hills of northern IL. Heading west was a different story though...

Uh, it blew?

Okay...bad joke. Seriously, the wind has been killer the last few weekends.

Saturday wasn't too bad. I got in 40 miles with friends.
Sunday had more wind and colder. I bailed out going to Parkside because I'm in poor shape, and I bailed from the Wauconda ride because my friends didn't want to go. Maybe it was a good thing that I did. After 20 miles I decided that I had enough. Time to go home and warm up those feet and lower legs.

Follishly I made a journey out along the lakefront on Sunday morn. I was a little how shall I say, "Friday night-ed" and couldn't quite get up on Sat, although I did manage to roll out of bet to see Paris-Nice. Sunday was one treacherous ride. The combination of cold and wind made the ride feel twice as long. And seeing that I ride solo and have nobody to draft off it was a leg-muncher. And who needs hills when you have Chicago winds!!

to tryout the course for next weeks race. Nice and warm but winds into the 40's. Lot's of hills.

I was using my Shamals and trying to do the circuit 6 times (like the race) at near race effort. Almost got blown over at the bottom of a big hill by a cross wind gust at 45 MPH. Went into a wobble but recovered. A bit scary, after that I used the brakes a bit on the downhills.

With the wind and hills I only finished 5 laps and was wasted. Not sure if is my fitness level or the wind, but I only averaged 18 MPH.

Sunday it was COLD. Went out in the morning with the temps below 30 and winds in the 20's. Just a moderate 1 1/4 hour recovery ride that I spent 1 1/2 hours on. I think I came close to getting frostbite when going into the wind.

I managed to get out late Friday afternoon for about two hours of the best riding so far this year....60's and no wind. Saturday morning I rode with our club and the wind was tough out of the east. Sunday I lead the club ride and we had enough idiots show up that we had to ride. We started in Rockford and drove a bit south to cut off part of the "in your face" gale force winds but got bounced all over by the cross winds. We were riding the wide open spaces south of Kirkland, Il with nothing to give us any break. We did manage to make it back just before the rains hit. Still beats the snow !!