Tarwheel and wind, wind, wind…

May 02, 2025

Tarwheel and it strong winds and flat roads are three weeks in the rear-view mirror. Time flies when you are having fun. Tarwheel was so much harder than I expected it to be. It was not the distance. The distance I can do. It was the wind. 14/15 mph head winds. I guess that is what happens on the East Coast. The winds come off the Atlantic and swirl. I talked to a co-worker about this after the event. I said it didn’t matter which way I went I got hit in the face with a 15-mph wind. He was like yes, that is how the coast is. I sort of wish I would have known that. It is something I will remember as I look for rides along the rest of the original 13. I will be looking for lots of tree cover, and or some ups and downs.

Look the weekend itself was great! I can’t complain. However, it was too much to put into three days. Thirteen hours driving to North Carolina. 66 wind filled miles on the bike that almost broke me. Then another thirteen hour drive the next day. It was just too much for 3-days. So, when I do go back to Virginia, West Virginia, etc… I will either fly there or spend more time there to acclimate and recuperate if I drive.

The drive itself was good. There was good conversation had on the way down and on the way back. I only got us lost twice in twenty-six hours of driving, so that was pretty good. I only almost got us arrested once, which is even better. My only advise for you is don’t’ go looking for a Dunkin Donuts on an army base. I swear I was just following the signs, not my fault of the great people of the state Viriginia can’t get their signs right.

The ride itself was OK. I mean I did swear in the last ten miles I would never ride my bike again. Then again, I was so wind burnt and cold at that point I would have probably said just about anything, I just wanted the wind out of my face.

66.04 Miles

640 Feet of elevation gain (double what they advertised)

11.9 MPH average speed

115W average power

According to Strava this is my third fastest 100K! Yay! I was disappointed in that last one. I wanted to go harder but stop me if you have heard this one before, the wind, sort of kicked my ass. It really was my first hard riding outside this year.

Elizabeth City is a pretty cool little place. We were in the heart of the small downtown. I really like the Vrbo. It was my first time staying in one. The BBQ was ok. I don’t think EC is that part of Carolina known for its BBQ. I had some fantastic yellow cake ice cream.

I can’t help comparing Tarwheel with my LDSR last weekend. I went out for two hours. It was nothing tough, but I will say a little wind in your face is much easier when you have trees around and some ups and downs on the roads you are riding.

I just stayed on the trails last weekend, I also only did 20 miles. However, I am not lying I got hit with some hard wind gusts, I read somewhere they were gusting up to 18 mph last weekend. However, if you get hit with a head wind going downhill, it is not nearly the same issue as if you are out in the open on flat land.

The mental attitude really makes a difference as well. I was smiling the entire time on last weekend’s LDSR. It probably helped my feet weren’t freezing and I wasn’t cold. I am really starting to learn that mental attitude impacts you so much on everything you do. I mean, I was happy and just glad to be riding last weekend. I need to keep this in mind when I do all my workouts.