if you don't know where the wind is...
02-24-09, 03:44 PM
#1
GATC
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if you don't know where the wind is...
... it's behind you. Not sure how many lunchtime grocery runs it will take to pound that into my head...
02-24-09, 04:34 PM
#2
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Didn't take me long; I learned it on just one trip actually.
I had only been riding for a few months on the weekends before I decided I should do a 100 mile ride, which started in Lubbock, TX and went due north to Plainview, then back again. On the way there I couldn't hear the wind in my ears, I was moving along a pretty good clip, and I thought, "man, this is easy. I'm in a lot better shape than I thought I was." I was feeling pretty good about myself until I turned around and realized, that, no, I'm actually not the stud cyclist I had started to think I was. The rest of the ride was straight into a headwind, and it was a long, slow, defeating slog home.
Happened to me again just recently on a 100k, but this time I knew it was coming...not sure if that's better or worse though.
I had only been riding for a few months on the weekends before I decided I should do a 100 mile ride, which started in Lubbock, TX and went due north to Plainview, then back again. On the way there I couldn't hear the wind in my ears, I was moving along a pretty good clip, and I thought, "man, this is easy. I'm in a lot better shape than I thought I was." I was feeling pretty good about myself until I turned around and realized, that, no, I'm actually not the stud cyclist I had started to think I was. The rest of the ride was straight into a headwind, and it was a long, slow, defeating slog home.
Happened to me again just recently on a 100k, but this time I knew it was coming...not sure if that's better or worse though.
02-24-09, 04:39 PM
#3
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Hahaha! Yup. Similar to the old "why is it so quiet?" routine (hint: because you have a 20mph tailwind!)
I don't usually have to deal with that though, since for reasons that escape me winds are always stronger here in the morning for my west-bound commute into the wind, then die down in time for my commute home. Grrr...
I don't usually have to deal with that though, since for reasons that escape me winds are always stronger here in the morning for my west-bound commute into the wind, then die down in time for my commute home. Grrr...
02-24-09, 04:47 PM
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Here in Nor Cal, we don't have tailwinds. It's either a headwind or I'm having a really good day.
02-24-09, 09:44 PM
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Ha! I have made the same mistake many times. Once I went on a 50-mile solo ride and was feeling particularly studly because I averaged 20 mph for the first 20 miles. Then I made a turn and realized that I had been riding with a tailwind. The ride back was brutal and I think my final average speed was about 17.5 mph.
02-24-09, 10:59 PM
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It just makes me appreciate those rare nice days
02-24-09, 11:31 PM
#9
You gonna eat that?
You know, Schwinn has a bike out called the Tailwind. It has an electric assist, so you can make your own tailwind whenever you need it.
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I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi 
"However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
02-25-09, 02:21 AM
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My first encounter was riding my 10 speed / 27" wheeled bike on the beach. It was glorious until I turned around - and my tires started digging into the sand instead of gliding on top.
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See my Hyperlite 411 it's the photo model on OutRiderUSA web page
See my Hyperlite 411 it's the photo model on OutRiderUSA web page
