Mark, Andy and I were hankering for some apple pie so we set off early headed for Julian. The weather gods had other ideas. We encountered 20-30 mph headwinds that got worse the farther east we went. The winds were relentless! My bike was buffeted left and right, standing in the saddle was out of the question and I had to pedal when going downhill to keep from stopping.
Mark was feeling good that morning and he put himself on the front, got low and powered through. He was out of sight while climbing out of Ramona but by the time we crested Old Julian Highway I found him waiting for us on the other side of the road – signaling his intention to give it up and turn around. We were all happy to stop battling the winds and we reversed course.
Now the fierce headwinds became tailwinds. I was soon traveling 20 mph without pedaling. It was a downhill course back to Ramona and we reached speed in the 40′s without too much trouble. We got back to Ramona in about 10% of the time it took to get out there – amazing.
We took Highland Valley on the way home, I was feeling sporty so I attacked a weary Mark at the top and used all of Mike’s tricks to gain about a minute on him by the time I reached the bottom. I have a feeling it’s going to be different next time though 
Missed the apple pie – next time.
2010 Leadville Trail 100
2010 Julian Death March
I Do Not Ride Alone
My Secret Leadville Plan
Previewing the Leadville 100 MTB Course
2010 Triple Bypass
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