Howard comes to Vegas baby!

Mozam, Howard, and FastEddie at the Windy Summit

I thought I’d update the blog today with a little ride report from our windy and challenging ride around the Red Rock Loop here in west Las Vegas. Three of us from Bike Journal, an online miles tracking and cycling discussions forum, headed out on what was to be a rather challenging ride. Our guest to Las Vegas, Howard as he likes to be called, flew into town with his lovely bride, Baltic Tiger, and were staying at the Red Rock Casino and Resort. FastEddie and I met up with Howard in the hotel lobby at the appointed time and started out on our journey. The weather was a bit ‘iffy and looked rather threatening. Not unusual for this time of year, but rather ominous for a bike ride, nonetheless. Right out of the parking lot we were hit with some pretty strong winds, but our spirits were high I was looking forward to some climbing. We chatted for about 6 miles to the park entrance talking about all our Bike Journal friends and how the site has brought a lot of like minded people together.

For those unfamiliar, the Red Rock climb is about 6 miles of pain, but a good kinda pain. That’s the only way to describe it. And, today, we had a 20+ mph headwind all the way up to make climbing even more enjoyable. At one point, we encountered a gusting side wind that literally moved me 5 feet sideways! After finally making the summit we took in the view, which is spectacular by the way, rehydrated and refueled for what turned out to be quite a spirited descent. All in all, it was a great ride despite the wind. The sun came out on our way back from Blue Diamond and the nasty wind abated long enough to let us get back to the hotel in quick order.

You can checkout the ride profile here: Red Rock Loop Stats