In honor of approaching St. Patrick's Day:
May the roads rise to meet you.
May the wind be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face; The rain fall soft upon your fields.
And, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Cyclists probably appreciate that "wind at your back" sentiment as much as anybody.
I found myself riding into a brutal wind on Saturday. (For the first half of the ride... sustained only by the anticipation that once I turned the sails about and headed for home, I'd get my payback.)
Out near the Fairgrounds, I bet I was riding into a steady 25-30mph blast. I saw three young whippersnappers on the sidewalk beside the road. They all had the long-deck skateboards... carrying them and walking, bent into the wind.
One kid put his board down on the sidewalk and pushed off... his ride was brief before he was stopped abruptly by the headwind.
Yep... we were like surfers, who paddle tediously out into the tide. A worthwhile price to pay, obviously, for those moments of glory when you find yourself being pushed by a strong wave or a sweeeet tailwind.
The skateboard kids were almost certainly headed for the Roadster Show, held at the Fairgrounds over the weekend. I wish I could've crossed paths with 'em again on the home stretch, to see if they were coasting effortlessly, both feet up, clickety-click, along the sidewalk.
Tireless advocate for the most efficient form of
human transportation ever devised - bicycles!
4 comments:
I commute southbound to work in the morning and northbound in the evening and occasionally I experience headwinds both directions on the same day. I don't think that I've ever had tailwinds in both directions on the same day.
Hi! My name is Scott. My gambling involves whether or not I put neoprene booties over my shoes. I usually lose.
I used to work out at the chip factory off Gowen, at the east end of town. I think I had headwinds every time I rode. And goatheads.
Good comments... except for the anonymous one from James F. Collins, the social gmabler / parasite. And I'm leaving it because Scott provided such a snappy comeback!
My observation is that in the Boise area, prevailing winds are 80+ percent from the west/northwest, with the most frequent exception being "easterly" winds in the mornings frequently. So - if you live west of town, and/or work in the east end of town, you may have set yourself up for riding into the wind.
(When I end up riding into the wind both directions, I feel bitter and cheated. Makes me want to quit riding, and take up social gmabling.)
I have ridden home after work to feel the head wind, grab a quick bike to eat, then head back towards down town only to feel the headwind again. Sometimes my bike feels slow and sometimes my body feels slow.
I attribute this all to DRAG.
(diggin the humor above too)
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