The worst aspect of the day was the wind, which was strong and blew directly into us all day. Sunday's ride of 83 miles with the wind was a breeze compared to today's ride of 68 miles into a stiff wind (bad pun, but accurate statement). The only way we were able to make it to our destination was to use the technique of "drafting", whereby one person closely behind the other. The rider who's drafting (the one in back) not only is partially protected from the wind by the lead rider, but also is pulled forward into the low pressure area in the turbulent wake behind the lead rider. For the entire ride today, we took turns drafting, switching roles every mile. When the drafting rider saw the next mile signpost coming up, he/she groaned with the realization that the luxury of drafting was about to end for the next mile.
It was also cold, with a high temperature of 56 degrees, and rained most of the day, at times heavily. Furthermore, there were almost no places to stop to go indoors and get a break from the wind, cold, and rain. This was, in part, due to the fact that much of the ride was through the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, in which the only building on the road was a large casino right as we entered the reservation.
Since we're on a roll with our complaining, we can add that the scenery was dreary and that Peter scraped his knee and tore a hole in his rain pants (but nothing that a little duct tape won't fix).
When we arrived at our destination, we debated whether this was the worst biking day we've ever had and decided that it probably was.
