Ode to a Headwind
03-23-08, 08:05 AM
#1
Chasing Dave Stoller
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Ode to a Headwind
Ode to a Headwind
(Composed on the bike 3/21/08; winds of 27 mph, gusting to 35. Happy Spring!)
When the trees are all blown halfway over
And grit fills your mouth 'til it's cracked and it's parched
When your handlebars fight you like cobras
Then you're cycling New England in March
When the roads are all potholed and mangled
And you're struggling to keep your front wheel pointing straight
When you ride on the flats at 10-degree angle
At a glacial, detestable, crustacean rate
That's when you know that you're cycling New England --
Might as well go on a long tour of Finland --
When you're cycling New England in March
(Composed on the bike 3/21/08; winds of 27 mph, gusting to 35. Happy Spring!)
When the trees are all blown halfway over
And grit fills your mouth 'til it's cracked and it's parched
When your handlebars fight you like cobras
Then you're cycling New England in March
When the roads are all potholed and mangled
And you're struggling to keep your front wheel pointing straight
When you ride on the flats at 10-degree angle
At a glacial, detestable, crustacean rate
That's when you know that you're cycling New England --
Might as well go on a long tour of Finland --
When you're cycling New England in March
03-23-08, 08:08 AM
#2
in the ground
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^^ Its been pretty bad in PA recently, but i can only imagine it further north. I believe i was traveling at a unbelievable rate of 4mph on a flat the other day...it was embarassing. of course, if i had bothered to check the weather, i would have know the wind was gusting up to 25-30 that day. 
03-23-08, 09:12 AM
#3
shedding fat
You guys should try riding in FL sometime. That is the daily staple here.
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03-23-08, 09:30 AM
#4
Chasing Dave Stoller
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03-23-08, 09:32 AM
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03-23-08, 09:38 AM
#6
Peloton Shelter Dog
All I can say to the headwind in my Prospect Park (Brooklyn) NY race today is: Blow Me.
And it did.
And it did.
03-23-08, 09:42 AM
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03-23-08, 09:46 AM
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In the SF Bay Area it was 70 degrees and not a breath of wind yesterday, looks like today will be the same. Life is full of choices, I would move.
03-23-08, 10:30 AM
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I'm from Seattle where winds aren't a big issue. If the wind is blowing hard it's probably a storm and you aren't on a bike. But, I'm currently living in south Italy and yesterday I went riding in probably the strongest winds I have ever encountered on a bike. At one point I was going down hill into the wind and I actually had to put the chain on the small chain ring and pedal hard. Downhill!!!
03-23-08, 10:42 AM
#11
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03-23-08, 10:55 AM
#12
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Ode to a Headwind
(Composed on the bike 3/21/08; winds of 27 mph, gusting to 35. Happy Spring!)
When the trees are all blown halfway over
And grit fills your mouth 'til it's cracked and it's parched
When your handlebars fight you like cobras
Then you're cycling New England in March
When the roads are all potholed and mangled
And you're struggling to keep your front wheel pointing straight
When you ride on the flats at 10-degree angle
At a glacial, detestable, crustacean rate
That's when you know that you're cycling New England --
Might as well go on a long tour of Finland --
When you're cycling New England in March
(Composed on the bike 3/21/08; winds of 27 mph, gusting to 35. Happy Spring!)
When the trees are all blown halfway over
And grit fills your mouth 'til it's cracked and it's parched
When your handlebars fight you like cobras
Then you're cycling New England in March
When the roads are all potholed and mangled
And you're struggling to keep your front wheel pointing straight
When you ride on the flats at 10-degree angle
At a glacial, detestable, crustacean rate
That's when you know that you're cycling New England --
Might as well go on a long tour of Finland --
When you're cycling New England in March
This is what it was like when I went out on thursday. When I turned around into a headwind, my speed dropped like nobody's business... I was leaning into the wind on cross winds to keep myself from being blown over!
03-23-08, 11:12 AM
#13
Bike ≠ Car ≠ Ped.
I'm in a haiku mode:
You suck, damn headwind,
You suck, you can just suck it,
You stupid headwind.
You suck, damn headwind,
You suck, you can just suck it,
You stupid headwind.
03-23-08, 11:17 AM
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Ode to a Headwind
(Composed on the bike 3/21/08; winds of 27 mph, gusting to 35. Happy Spring!)
When the trees are all blown halfway over
And grit fills your mouth 'til it's cracked and it's parched
When your handlebars fight you like cobras
Then you're cycling New England in March
When the roads are all potholed and mangled
And you're struggling to keep your front wheel pointing straight
When you ride on the flats at 10-degree angle
At a glacial, detestable, crustacean rate
That's when you know that you're cycling New England --
Might as well go on a long tour of Finland --
When you're cycling New England in March
(Composed on the bike 3/21/08; winds of 27 mph, gusting to 35. Happy Spring!)
When the trees are all blown halfway over
And grit fills your mouth 'til it's cracked and it's parched
When your handlebars fight you like cobras
Then you're cycling New England in March
When the roads are all potholed and mangled
And you're struggling to keep your front wheel pointing straight
When you ride on the flats at 10-degree angle
At a glacial, detestable, crustacean rate
That's when you know that you're cycling New England --
Might as well go on a long tour of Finland --
When you're cycling New England in March
03-23-08, 02:24 PM
#15
Chasing Dave Stoller
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Thanks, Hammertoe. So far, you're the only one to comment on the ode itself. I should have known to post this in the Regional area instead of Road Cycling. ;->
My heart goes out to the folk who deal with this kind of wind all year 'round. (Though I'd be curious to know if anyone really has winds at 27 mph, with gusts up to 35, all year 'round).
My heart goes out to the folk who deal with this kind of wind all year 'round. (Though I'd be curious to know if anyone really has winds at 27 mph, with gusts up to 35, all year 'round).
03-23-08, 02:25 PM
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03-23-08, 02:27 PM
#17
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03-23-08, 03:37 PM
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IMHO
03-23-08, 03:49 PM
#19
Peloton Shelter Dog
I don't hang out in Brooklyn. I race my bicycle in Brooklyn. But I must confess parts of it look very nice indeed.
03-23-08, 05:39 PM
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There once was a wind in Nantucket...
03-23-08, 05:47 PM
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Actually, one of the windiest places in North America is Boston. It's much windier than Chicago even though they get all the press because they get higher max winds.
Edit: I loved the ode btw
Edit: I loved the ode btw
Last edited by eippo1; 03-23-08 at 05:48 PM. Reason: Never complimented op's post
03-23-08, 06:15 PM
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Ode to a Headwind
(Composed on the bike 3/21/08; winds of 27 mph, gusting to 35. Happy Spring!)
When the trees are all blown halfway over
And grit fills your mouth 'til it's cracked and it's parched
When your handlebars fight you like cobras
Then you're cycling New England in March
When the roads are all potholed and mangled
And you're struggling to keep your front wheel pointing straight
When you ride on the flats at 10-degree angle
At a glacial, detestable, crustacean rate
That's when you know that you're cycling New England --
Might as well go on a long tour of Finland --
When you're cycling New England in March
(Composed on the bike 3/21/08; winds of 27 mph, gusting to 35. Happy Spring!)
When the trees are all blown halfway over
And grit fills your mouth 'til it's cracked and it's parched
When your handlebars fight you like cobras
Then you're cycling New England in March
When the roads are all potholed and mangled
And you're struggling to keep your front wheel pointing straight
When you ride on the flats at 10-degree angle
At a glacial, detestable, crustacean rate
That's when you know that you're cycling New England --
Might as well go on a long tour of Finland --
When you're cycling New England in March
03-23-08, 06:37 PM
#25
Uber Goober
We found some doozy winds in Wyoming and Nebraska. Same issue: Nothing to stop it. I opened the door on my minivan and it got blown back and bent the metal on it a bit. The wind was picking up little pea-size gravel and blowing it. This was on I-80 out near the Wy-Ne line.
They say that one time the wind stopped blowing in Nebraska and a house fell over.
They say that one time the wind stopped blowing in Nebraska and a house fell over.
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