'It's the tailwind, stupid!'

So I take off for my weekly ride and I'm flyin'


I'm thinking 'wow! These new clipless pedals are AWESOME! Or, maybe,
is it the way the guy at the bike shop adjusted the seat???

Maybe that I really cranked up the pressure in the tires just before the
ride...


hmmmm....


My average is 3-4 mph faster than ever before!! I'M SUPER-HUMAN!!!


then I turn around to head back to the car.

I'm on the small chain ring.

My eyes are watering and I'm sweating like a pig.

My average is 1-3 mph SLOWER than ever...

I feel like an eighth grade girl...

I'm a total wuss...

I suck...


Now I know why I was so fast WITH the tailwind.


LOL (at my stupid self!)


-Bob

Hell and High Water wrote:
: So I take off for my weekly ride and I'm flyin'
:
:
: I'm thinking 'wow! These new clipless pedals are AWESOME! Or,
: maybe, is it the way the guy at the bike shop adjusted the seat???
:
: Maybe that I really cranked up the pressure in the tires just before
: the ride...
:
:
: hmmmm....
:
:
: My average is 3-4 mph faster than ever before!! I'M SUPER-HUMAN!!!
:
:
: then I turn around to head back to the car.
:
: I'm on the small chain ring.
:
: My eyes are watering and I'm sweating like a pig.
:
: My average is 1-3 mph SLOWER than ever...
:
: I feel like an eighth grade girl...
:
: I'm a total wuss...
:
: I suck...
:
:
: Now I know why I was so fast WITH the tailwind.
:
:
: LOL (at my stupid self!)

"Roger Zoul" wrote in
:

Hell and High Water wrote:
: So I take off for my weekly ride and I'm flyin'
:
:
: I'm thinking 'wow! These new clipless pedals are AWESOME! Or,
: maybe, is it the way the guy at the bike shop adjusted the
: seat???
:
: Maybe that I really cranked up the pressure in the tires just
: before the ride...
:
:
: hmmmm....
:
:
: My average is 3-4 mph faster than ever before!! I'M
: SUPER-HUMAN!!!
:
:
: then I turn around to head back to the car.
:
: I'm on the small chain ring.
:
: My eyes are watering and I'm sweating like a pig.
:
: My average is 1-3 mph SLOWER than ever...
:
: I feel like an eighth grade girl...
:
: I'm a total wuss...
:
: I suck...
:
:
: Now I know why I was so fast WITH the tailwind.
:
:
: LOL (at my stupid self!)






Funny story! I'm sure we've all been there.

I made my trip home in 48 minutes, one day - thought I was finally
getting to my goal of 45 minutes Wow! I'm awesome! So I thought.

Usually, it takes me about 55 minutes to an hour.

Sometimes it takes me 1hour-20minutes! Damn that wind!

--
Eric Babula
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Hell and High Water wrote:
So I take off for my weekly ride and I'm flyin'


I'm thinking 'wow! These new clipless pedals are AWESOME! Or, maybe,
is it the way the guy at the bike shop adjusted the seat???

Maybe that I really cranked up the pressure in the tires just before the
ride...


hmmmm....


My average is 3-4 mph faster than ever before!! I'M SUPER-HUMAN!!!


then I turn around to head back to the car.

I'm on the small chain ring.

My eyes are watering and I'm sweating like a pig.

My average is 1-3 mph SLOWER than ever...

I feel like an eighth grade girl...

I'm a total wuss...

I suck...


Now I know why I was so fast WITH the tailwind.


LOL (at my stupid self!)


Every afternoon at least some of the local bike club meets up at the
beach and bicycles to the train station. There was a race in August so
this June and July it was lots and lots and lots of people, the bike
club's pickup truck, and even a couple gallons of water. Recently it
has just been people on bikes.

There is a permanent tailwind on the ride to the train station and a
permanent headwind on the ride back.

Sufficiently permanent that the TREES have grown at an angle!

There is one hill which I tried coasting down on the ride back the last
time I went. Tried. Long hill. Steep compared to most stuff inside
the city. 10 kph!

It is literally like riding uphill both ways...

-M

wrote:
There is a permanent tailwind on the ride to the train station and a
permanent headwind on the ride back.

Sufficiently permanent that the TREES have grown at an angle!

There is one hill which I tried coasting down on the ride back the last
time I went. Tried. Long hill. Steep compared to most stuff inside
the city. 10 kph!

It is literally like riding uphill both ways...


You have discovered one of the iron laws of distance cycling "the wind
is always in your face"