RT66 Day 18: WIND!?!
What was supposed to be an easy recovery day turned into an eight-hour slog, battling 16–20 mph direct headwinds — but a big milestone was reached.
Best to watch the forecast before the ride…
Day 18: Ludlow, CA to Barstow, CA; 54 miles, 3,593 feet elevation gain
4 miles on I-40
Day 18: Planned on Ride with GPS
Intraday Stops: Chevron Newberry Springs (32 miles), Frosty Donut House* (18 miles)
I’ve been pretty strict on this ride about early nights and early starts. There are lots of reasons—avoiding the heat, less traffic, staying off the road at dusk—but the simplest is that I’m a morning person. By 5 p.m., I’m tired. And when you’re tired on the bike, mistakes happen. We were fine today, but we should have started earlier.
After yesterday’s brutal 109-mile push through the Mojave, we let ourselves believe today would be easy: 54 flat miles, maybe 4.5 hours with lunch. The temperature had dropped to a merciful 81°F, a huge improvement over the 104°F we’d just endured.
We rolled out at 8 a.m. into what felt like a light breeze. Within an hour, it had become a full-on 16–20 mph headwind straight out of the west.
Note for Pearl Izumi fans, her shorts are two sizes too big.
The contrast was demoralizing. After such a hard day, we were expecting a recovery ride, not a grind. When you’re fighting to hold 5 mph in places, morale evaporates fast. To make matters worse, Sara was dealing with gear issues—not her saddle this time, but her Pearl Izumi shorts, which she eventually modified for relief.
Conclusion: the worst condition to cycle in isn’t heat, rain, or sun—it’s headwinds. They don’t just slow you down; they break your will.
Still, there was a bright spot. Five miles into the day, I crossed the 1,000-mile mark for the second half of Route 66.
One final note: if you’re aiming for the Frosty Donut House—supposedly incredible—don’t go late. It closes around 1–2 p.m., and we missed it. We did, however, meet another cyclist at the hotel riding the full length of Route 66, which felt like kismet!
