Originally Posted by
mm718
For those of you with experience on longer tours.... Have you had periods in which you weren't having fun for a significant period of time (e.g., a week or more) but push through (or take multiple rest days) and find your outlook improves? Or do you know when you know and you should trust those instincts? I ask because I am thinking of one cross country cyclist who said that he didn't start having fun until he got to Kansas. I don't know the whole story on this but it raises a lot of questions about how long it takes one to get acclimated to touring, when to push through, and when not to....
I've had nasty constant headwinds for several days that severely tested my resolve, but was able to work through them knowing that eventually I would be out of them. For me, they are far worse then even the really long and steep grades up a mountain because at least with a mountain, you can look forward to the thrill of coasting down the other side. With strong headwinds, it's quite demoralizing to be down to 5-8 mph while riding on the level, and darn maddening when having to peddle down steep grades.