A Windy Day

Yesterday was my long ride day. My plan called for 97 minutes. When I'm riding on the road, that's nothing, as I've already extended a couple previous rides beyond that. It's nice when you know you're not training purely to train, but also because you like it.

It was windy yesterday. Sustained winds of 30km/h (19mi) and gusts of 50km/h (31mi). When Mountain Man (my husband) first suggested I wouldn't do it, I was annoyed. I only have so much time to get my long rides in, and with the three week (bikeless) vacation we'll be taking in June, I just don't feel like I can afford to miss any.

We headed to the mountains in the morning instead and went for a bit of a hike with the kids. Since we were mostly going at the pace of Sweetpea, it wasn't super challenging. Next time, we'll bring along the backpack carrier for her and go at Spud's pace. At four years old, he's got quite a bit of stamina.
When we got home, I decided it was time for that bike ride. Wind or no wind. Mountain Man took the kids to the park so I could have some time. I pumped up my bike tires, got changed and headed out. I was riding into a headwind, and I figured I could manage. More work, no doubt, so I might go slower, but doable. Then a gust hit me. It slowed me almost immediately to a crawl and the grit it picked up stung my legs as it blew against me.

I turned around and went home.

I could have rode in the wind, but at this point, I'm not feeling totally ready. I'm still getting used to riding my road bike, and don't feel like my bike handling skills are there yet. I'm concerned about getting one of those gusts as a crosswind rather then a head wind and what it would do to my stability and position on the road. Plus, it wouldn't have been any fun. Part of the reason I ride that bike is because it's fun.

So, I came home, and put the bike on the trainer. I put the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet into the dvd player and cycled away. Surprisingly, the time went relatively quickly and I was able to get it all in. Plus, I got to watch one of my chick flicks.

I'll ride in wind like that at some point. I live in a place where I get enough of it, and races will still run. First, I'll get more confident on my bike.