• Rode straight into the front of a thunderstorm. Pretty sure we got pelted with some hail. Don't worry we took shelter in a creepy barn. Ok we're going to go riding straight into another storm!
• 19 miles left. Storms, 15-20mph cross and head wind. Cold. Taking a brief break in a small town post office. We're too stubborn to miss the cut off. Don't you worry we'll make it!

Eldridge North 300K Recap- There were 30 cyclists most whom were signing up for the 200k. Of the 30 cyclists only three were women and without a doubt I was the youngest rider there. Many riders were 60+ years old and one individual was riding the 200k as his 70th birthday ride! We took off as a group and rode along a bike path for 3 miles before hitting the county roads. The sun was shinning and the temp was around 60 degrees. The 15-20mph tailwind pushed us quickly to the first control at 23.2 miles in Low Moor, Iowa. Steve and I did great accomplishing all the tasks and getting back on the road quickly. The mostly tailwind was with us until around mile 48. Up to this point we were pushing 17-18mph average. The route, took us left as we rode along the Mississippi River. Little did we know how much speed the wind was picking up as we were sheltered from it as we rode next to rock cliffs and the river. The next control was mile 59.5 in Bellevue, Iowa. We took a few extra minutes here to eat some potato waffles and dehydrated fruit. We were feeling great, and high-fived our fastest road metric. 1/3 down 2/3 to go. We had a lengthy steep climb coming out of Bellevue before getting hit with the 30+ mph wind. For me it became mentally exhausting, pushing hard up a hill only to have to push as equally as hard down the hill to just hope to get up to 12-15 mph! Large trucks passing you on the other side of the road going 60 miles per hour felt like you were hitting this invisible brick wall. We kept pushing hard to the 3rd control. It took longer than originally anticipated and we didn't eat any food between. The farther north we went the more the wind shifted to wsw not making it any easier for us. We were starving by the time we reached Peosta, Iowa at mile 95. We ordered a 12 inch veggie sub each and split some Reese's and chips, along with eating some of the snacks we brought. We stayed at the control about 45-50 minutes. We need to learn to get shorten this time for future rides. We again climbed out of the city and faced the brutal wind that was still not with us in fact it was mostly headwinds. The fourth control was at mile 110 in Casade, Iowa. We were tired but still in good spirits. I stretched my legs as I snacked on potato waffles, pretzels, a cliff bar, and granola. We probably stayed around 20 minutes. We were not surprised that we had to climb out of another city. We picked up a little speed as the wind was somewhat calming down. We tried to ignore the fact that the sky was getting very gray and ominous in the exact direction we were heading. It was very eerie. Steve said, I think we are about to get hit with a storm front. We stopped to check the weather map and as soon as I got my phone out we got pelted with rain, and hail. Luckily, we stopped in front of someone's farm and were able to run and stand in front of their garage. We were sheltered from the worse of it. Once the rain calmed down we decided to head back out on the road. According to the weather map there was probably no way we were going to avoid getting wet and finish on time especially with the wind switching to a mostly head wind all the way back. Back on the road we laugh we laughed, we were 2 for 2 for wet conditions so far for our brevet series. Steve thought we were going to get pelted again. We asked another farm if we could take sheltered in their open barn. It was creepy....there were dead birds. The storm passed us moving just north of us. We were upset we wasted precious time. We continued to the next control in light rain, lightening all around, and a fast fading sun. As the sun faded I realized I never thought about how we were going to read the cue sheet once it got dark! Doh! Steve took the map and used his head light to read with. My headlight is bright enough to lite the road for both of us and then some. Within 5 minutes of having the map, he got us lost and started sending us down a highway. We were quickly able to correct the error. A mile down the road and literally almost right in front of the final control at mile 145 in Maquoketa, Iowa I hit a hole in the pavement and my tire sweep out from under me. I hit hard on my right side....why is it always my right side! I cracked my helmet, bruised my shoulder and hip, tensed up my shoulder and neck muscles, and scrapped my elbow. I'm lucky there wasn't a car following behind me as I bounced from the right side to the middle of the lane. I got up quickly and tried not to cry. My head hurt and body ached. A gentleman stopped and asked if I was ok. We got the control and got our cards signed. I couldn't stop shaking, and I couldn't get warm. I wanted to eat and get back on the road. I'm too stubborn to quit. Unfortunately another bad cell of the thunderstorm hit. We decided to stay a few more minutes. A kind gentleman asked us where we were going. Eldridge... about 42 miles away. He offered to give us a ride. I immediately said, "But we'll get disqualified"! I didn't battle ridiculous wind and hills all day to let a little storm and fall stop me from my goal. What if it rains at LEL are we going to just give up? This was a test in mental toughness. We checked the map there was no way around it we were going to be riding in storms all the way back. The rain started to lighten up and I said let's go now! It took about 2 miles for me to stop shaking from the cold. I was soaked and the wind was still relentless. We somehow as Steve puts it threaded the needle and missed severe storms. The rain was lighter but there was lightening all around. My mind urged my muscles to work harder and faster but they were done. I didn't think about 42 miles.... it was always 2 miles until the next turn, just two miles. My traps and neck were so painful. My anxiety was high because the roads were wet and I didn't want to fall again. We were dodging frogs and night crawlers all night. The rain picked up and slowed on and off. We tried not to think about how as we climbed a hills and lightening would strike how in some places we were the tallest object! At some points I felt this eerie peacefulness riding in the dark. We went several miles without seeing a car. I'm sure the ones that saw us were like "what the hell are these to idiots doing riding in the middle of the night in a thunderstorm". After 25 miles we decided to take a quick stop to refuel. If we could keep pace we knew we would make it on time. We found a post office in a small town. Even though the post office was warm I couldn't stop shaking. We forced ourselves back on bikes. Only 19 miles, we can do this! They were the longest 19 miles of my life! I just kept pushing the pedals over and over, concentrating on not hitting frogs. I tried not to cry when ever we turned and headed into a headwind. We finally rolled into the end tired, cold, and soaking wet. We signed our card and proudly handed it over. We finished with time to spare, but deep down inside I felt somewhat disappointed. I had this goal of finishing by 10pm. This ride was only 20 miles longer than the previous longest ride I have done. Sure the feet of climbing was over double but I'm stronger this year than last. I'm glad we had the horrible wind and had to ride 60 miles in the thunderstorms. These training rides aren't just for speed and distance. I need to test my mental toughness too! We finished, period. It doesn't matter the time! We accomplished and learned so much! This was our longest ride in a day, the most amount of feet climbed in a day, the first time navigating at night, and first time riding in thunderstorms. We learned so much that will help us be more successful in our future brevet rides. Final thought....this ride was not vegan. I swallowed 3 bugs, hit a frog and about 50 night crawlers, and hit the tail of a dead possum.