Unseasonably warm, sunny and very windy start to a near-metric length ride from KCGC through Oswego, Yorkville & Plano. Joined by Wally, Tim, Michelle, Rick P, Kevin P & Monica L. Outbound routing designed to minimize headwinds heading to Oswego while traversing FRT and several local neighborhoods. We had to detour over to Wally’s house, for a bike change, as he cracked his front ENVE rim hitting a pothole on the trail. Moderate winds at start (10-15 mph) increased significantly as we approached Grove Road on the way to Reservation Road. Single collaborative paceline work made the southbound slog manageable. Autumn scenery was spectacularly colorful throughout, considering that we were probably past peak. Crosswinds on east-west segments were sometimes a challenge to stay upright so riding at an angle was sometimes required. Return northbound segments were helped by strong (15-25, gusts to 30 mph) winds. Michelle and Rick noted that the connection between Eldamain and Fox Road, via a bridge near completion, should offer a wide range of new routing options for future rides. Wally and I rehydrated at Art History Brewing afterwards, where a strong wind gust toppled the nearby umbrella stand and space heater (no humans injured nor beverages spilled, fortunately).