The Rider and the Wind

October 09, 2007

Today the sky was so clear, and the cool October breeze was too much to resist. So naturally I had to ride. I geared up and headed up to one of my favorite riding spots. Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. Unfortunately that breeze i mentioned before, well it was more of a series of 35mph gusts. It became quickly apparent, this being my first time driving in strong winds, that doing so is not fun. I had to concentrate very hard not to let the bike go into the shoulder. I ended up getting off the freeway and stopping just south of Port Washington, WI, near an elk farm nearby. I decided now would be a good time to take a break and find out just what kinda wind i was dealing with, for future reference. Got on my phone and called friends and family. (whoever had a computer nearby) Thats when i learned that the wind was at about 18mph with gusts hitting around 35mph. So I guess today I learned the value of checking the wind speed of the area your riding in. You simply cannot relax if its too windy. It makes you feel like you don't have control once you start moving fast.

Guess its slow going back home then. But first i took some pictures of interesting things and then off I went. The ride home was much better on the back roads where I could go at the pace i wanted to without feeling the wind too much. Even though my original destination was never reached, I still found that where I stopped to take a break still had an effect on me. Today was amazing, wind and all. I think today is the day that I realized that riding my bike means more to me than just riding my bike.