The shop called at noon to say my bike was ready so I drove into Louisville to retrieve my new love. Once home I quickly changed and headed out the door. Before I left my driveway I headed back in switched jackets (put the warmer one on) and headed out to ride some favorite roads. The wind was awful. A strong wind from the south to southwest was blowing at 13 mph and gusting to 30 mph. As long as it was at my back life was good but boy when I turned into it the ride took on a whole new life of its own - a real battle developed between and the wind. However, even the strong winds did not discourage me for I simply wanted to ride. When I finished the first loop of the ride I decided I was not ready to call it a day so I set off on another big loop I like to ride. Again, when I reach the spot where I would normally head home I again decided I was not ready to call it a day so off I went to explore yet another loop, one I had not been on but knew existed, and again I was having a great time. When I reached the turning point on this loop I knew the ride home was going to be hard - straight into the wind so I bit the bullet and headed home. The uphill ride into the wind was tough but I stuck with it and slowly made my way home. In the end I logged 29.2 miles and averaged 15.5 mph - not bad given the wind. Looks like the week ahead will be spent on the trainer for temperature are forecasted to plummet tonight and the high tomorrow is suppose to only be in the low 20's. Maybe next weekend we will once again be blessed with blue skies, warm sunshine and clear roads.