April Fools!
Being April, you would think it would be around 60 degrees and sunny, but the weather decided to play a joke on my fellow teammates and me this past weekend. The weather consisted of 30 degree temperatures and a wind advisory of 30-40mph winds! But did that stop us from riding this weekend???......No!To begin my personal experience with the weather, on April 1st, Catherine and I embarked on a bike ride around Urbana early in the morning. It was a bit cold, but after riding a bit, we warmed up. Riding through country roads and a small town was so beautiful and so calm. I felt like we were the only people around for miles (even though campus was less than 10 miles away). Then, what seemed out of no were, the sky grew grey as thick clouds filled it and the wind began to pick up. Before I knew it, the wind was so strong, I was moving at a snail’s pass, riding straight into the wind. Our calm, beautiful ride turned into a 10 mile, slow paced, struggle to get back to campus! With the support of my teammate, Catherine, much motivation, and a little rerouting, we made it make alive and well. But the weekend was not over! The wind continued throughout Saturday into the team’s weekend training ride! Beginning at 7am, we started our 30 mile ride, again with a wind advisory of 30-40mph winds. This may seem awful, but looking back, it was a great learning experience. For 15 miles, we rode in groups of four straight into the wind. This allowed the team to practice pace lining/drafting, shifting with various conditions, and communicating with each other. Although the first 15 miles was difficult, the tailwinds on the way back home were worth it! After accomplishing a weekend of cold, windy weather, I feel like any ride with winds under 30mph will be a breeze! Overall, I gained experience riding with difficult weather conditions, but most of all I learned how the support of teammates is an unstoppable motivator. The support of my teammates, and their determination to continue riding, kept me going as well. Hopefully, the weather warms up soon, but either way I cannot wait for my next ride!