Out in Scottsdale for a few days on business....sent my bike out to get some good miles in and actually ride in the warmth.

NOT. Weather yesterday was complete cr@p. 65* when I left, building wind and grey skies. Doing a 65 mile ride around McDowell mountain....started off with a tailwind. First bad sign....

Zipping along, doing just fine. A little chilly, but happened to have brought arm warmers, so I was basically OK (although a base layer would have helped). Some nice little rollers, but nothing too strenuous.

Around the backside of McDowell, it starts to rain. Nothing too bad, but it brought a chill with it. I them have to turn left to start heading back south and everything bottoms out.

As I make the left! I am now heading straight into the wind! which has picked up to 20mph+ with gusts even stronger (over 30). I look up the road and it is dead straight as far as you can see.....and all uphill. Nothing steep...only about 2%, but with the wind it was brutal. I am grinding along for all I have @ 12-13mph. Then it rains harder.....then it hails. And the top is not getting any closer.

Turns out, it was a 9 MILE CLIMB into that freakin' headwind. Gusts came up that damn near stopped me on the bike. I was cold and wet and cramping from grinding along, but couldn't stand to stretch because it was so damn windy.

Finally got to the top, but even the descent was brutal because I still had the damn headwind. Just endless.....

Ended up with 67 miles and about 3K feet in climbing ..which back in the day would have been OK, but flatland Chicago boy paid for it!!

Now I can't stop eating.....I have been pounding down food and still find myself hungry shortly after finishing a meal. Debating having room service deliver the bread pudding now....