2015-07-17 - MT - Day 51 - Havre to Chester

I left at 5:00 AM. Almost everyone was gone by 5:30 in an effort to avoid some of the worst winds. Brian and I rode together most of the way to rest stop 1 and didn't stop long. Mike joined us there and we rode together to mile 41 at Rudyard where we stopped for a great breakfast. After a veggie omelet, hash browns, a strawberry smoothie, and a chocolate bar, I felt bloated the rest of the day. We tried our best to maintain a 10 mph pace, but when we took a turn seven miles later the crosswinds ripped us apart. We had to lean thirty degrees into the wind just to avoid falling down. Between the leaning and the gusts, we were getting blown all over the road. Brian said to me at one point, "This is awesome!" Neither of us had cycled in conditions like this before. Mike shot ahead as drops of cold rain surprised us. Brian passed me when I slowed down. I stopped at a supermarket less than a mile away from the end point at a church. I also picked up packages from the post office which cheered me up. New cassette and chain for my bike and Asian snacks from my parents for me. Yum! I learned later that the wind speed was 35 mph with 47 mph gusts.