All the wind - December 12, 2010

I know - bitching and moaning about the wind again.  Headwinds suck, tailwinds blow.  Given the choice (not that I ever have been) of riding into the wind both ways, riding into a wind one way and having a tailwind back or not having a wind, I would choose not having a wind...ever.

If you consider the four elements of cycling; air, earth, fire and water (hey those sound familiar, I must have borrowed them from somewhere), then I can consistently pit myself against any of them successfully with the exception of air/wind.  I can ride in the heat and up or down hills, in the rain or snow and even up and down hills in the heat, rain or snow and often fair better than most.  Wind just drags me down.

It actually takes the fun out of riding if it's strong enough.  I find that I lose my will to do battle with it.  There is a sense of accomplishment at the top of hill or having braved the elements, but there is just a never ending pointless struggle when riding into the wind.  I often find myself sitting up and powering back with a "why fight it" attitude.

A couple mornings ago, I checked the weather and noticed a lovely 15 mph wind expected for my rides.  15 mph was the constant speed of the wind but it often gusted up to 25 or so making my ride miserable.  Uphill was agonizing as it seemed to add a two or three percent grade to my efforts, flats all felt like uphill and I was barely maintaining any kind of speed at all except down the steepest of hills.  Partly due to my lack of will to push hard and my severely depleted speed, it added nearly fifteen minutes to my ride.  Another reason to hate it!

The only positive side was the same wind at my back on the way home.  The downside on my single geared bike is the lack of ability to take full advantage of it.  Once I hit a little of twenty, I can't catch my pedals.  Take away the wind and give me rain!!! (together they are worse, so not that).  I keep eyeballing the aero-bars, thinking they are unnecessary.  After nearly a week riding into stiff winds, I may change my mind.  Maybe they actually are the answer, much like a compact crank is for hills.  It's something to think about.