This is the worst part of the trip. For the next 18 miles the route heads north. The wind has been more or less a headwind up until now, but it will be my biggest enemy for the next hour and a half. There is nothing to block it on this stretch. It will be all farmlands, flat roads (no coasting), and wind. The only thing to do is to pedal. My formula will be 1: shift to an easier gear 2: get down in the drops of the handlebars 3: keep a high cadence with smooth pressure on the pedals 4: stand periodically to relieve my back and change the muscles I'm using 5: go back to number one - rinse and repeat. And most of all, think about something besides quitting.