Yesterday I did 16 miles around Hanscom AFB and back, in the same winds everyone else is having. At one point, on the way back we got behind a very large couple who were going slower than us and we used them as a wind shield until we got near Concord center. But, overall, the ride was good and speed was good for those conditions.
Today I felt I had to do a long ride. I thought it would be less windy, but it felt worse, maybe because we were riding right into it for about 20 miles and the we had some nice gusts, even when we were riding in a tailwind. The goal was to ride to our favorite hill in Harvard, sort of a benchmark for me at various parts of the season. Too bad DH decided to take a somewhat circuitous route, which involved some nasty hills before we actually got to the hill we set out to do. It's not the worst hill in Harvard, and that was fine, as I went up it like a snail, compared to usual. But, right before we went up the hill, I had to pee really badly, and there's no place to stop, so I went into the woods, and I discovered I had no tissue, so I had to get creative... by this time I wanted to turn around and go home, but we soldiered on.
It was really sunny and warm (55 F), but I was not feeling it today; probably because I rode 36.5 miles with 1724 feet of climbing and my longest previous ride so far was only 25.5. So much for building up gradually. But, I got that out of the way.