Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Wind + Hills = HARD!

It was windy today. Or so I found out *after* I started my bike ride. I went down Road to Nepal to get in my hill workout, and the way down was wind wind wind all the time. I tried to keep my head down and power through. It was strong enough that I was about 25 Kph slower than normal going down hills into the wind.

I wasn't feeling strong, so it was turning into a bit of a suffer fest. One hill I was barely making 5 Kph and a sudden gust had me ready to unclip because I nearly stopped. All I could think about was that the way back I'd be able to sit up, relax, and be blown all the way home.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. I still had to pedal, and it didn't help me downhill as much as I thought it would. Max speed was only 84.6 Kph. I'd been getting a little chilled riding into the wind, and was warming up a bit coming back. The very last part of the ride I could feel my legs coming back and starting to feel a little stronger.

It took 1:17 to get to the bottom of the road, and 1:01 to get back, for 2:18 total, which is 22.3 Kph average. Except for the wind, it was a beautiful day for a ride.

5 comments:

  1. yup, wind was coming from southeast which would have been right at ya! i lucked out. must have had a bit of shelter because it wasn't too horrible on the hill. getting there was tougher! good ride!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Road to Nepal for a Tuesday workout. I am totally slacking! Gee, funny that the wind keeps changing direction. Guess that might be the deal on race day. :)

    Good ride! What are your ride plans this weekend?

    Leaha

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yup, that wind was a blowin' yesterday! Only thing here, was that it normally blows from west to east. For the last couple of days it has been opposite...I make the "grimacing wind face" now! LOL!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am a sucky as my rides are in the early mornings when the wind has not had a chance to get up...I am in for some rude awakenings over the next 2 months when my rides start to get longer!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I hate windy bike rides. Hate them. Good work getting through it PLUS the hills. Oh and I'm glad to hear you're feeling better in the pool.

    ReplyDelete

Looking forward to reading your comment!