Homer's Travels: A Long Ride Blown Away

Sunday, November 02, 2014

A Long Ride Blown Away

I went for a bike ride this morning.  I was aiming for around thirty miles like I'd done last Wednesday.

When I got up after the extra daylight savings hour of sleep, I noticed the wind was whipping the trees across the street.  I was committed to riding today so I decided that maybe twenty miles would be more appropriate for a windy day like the one I woke up to.

I loaded the bike on the car and drove to the trailhead.  I got out of the car and felt the stiff wind blowing me in the face.  It was probably a thirteen miles per hour wind with gusts up to twenty.  My average speed tends to be around thirteen miles per hour.  A ten mile bike ride would do the trick on a blustery day like today.

I started peddling.  As I went I dropped gears until I was going so slow that I probably could have walked faster.  Even in the lower gear I was struggling.  I usually stop for my first rest at a bench about seven and a quarter miles from the car.   Today I stopped at two and a half miles.  I stood there in the whistling wind and thought "enough is enough."  I turned around and returned to the car.

Five miles.  Five miles in about 26 minutes.  Not what I'd planned.  I'll try to make it up by adding an extra ride sometime this week.

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