This weekend is going to be spent doing a mini bike tour with my self-appointed trainer (“SAT”).  Since I’ve committed myself to training for a double century, SAT thought it might be a good idea to see how I’d feel after doing 2 long-ish bike rides in a row.  Well, why not?  At this very moment, I think that’s a good idea as well.  [N.B.  I am well rested, my legs are feeling great, and I’m typing this on my laptop inside my cozy little abode.]

Our plan is to bike from home to Searchlight, NV, which is “only” a distance of 100 miles (160 km).  We will bike back home on Sunday, taking a different route from Searchlight, making the distance shorter at 76 miles.  The temperature is supposed to be nice with minimal wind.  Sunday’s forecast?  High of 52F (11C) and winds up to 22mph (35km).  I do not see a “wind warning advisory” on weather.com yet….all I know is that the one and only time I did a mini bike tour (with SAT in the spring), I remember battling headwinds the ENTIRE time.  No, I am not exaggerating.  30-35mph headwinds BOTH directions.  It was miserable and difficult and made me question my sanity.  There was a tiny part that was laughable: specifically, that one 12-mile mountain pass that was just brutal to pedal up in the face of that darned headwind and more difficult to pedal downhill in the face of that same darned headwind the next day.  I never had to work so hard to bike downhill in my life (I think our average speed was 9-10 mph on that 6% descent because of that 30-35mph headwind).

So, yes, this weekend may not be all fun and games, but I am going to do my best to view it as “toughness training.”  Fear and trepidation?  Yup.  At least I get to carb-load today.  Bring on the fries and pasta!