Day 3 of the 2019 commute and it was one of my slowest, toughest and most energy sapping rides on record (and that means all of them, not just the 2019 ones). It was the kind of ride that feels like it will never end. The kind of ride that needs a constant shift into an easier gear. The kind of ride that takes all your willpower just to keep on pedaling. It was totally awesome!
Monday morning began with an early 5:30 wake-up for me. I’m not normally good in the mornings but on Mondays I often need to get back home in the evening in time for nursery pick-up. This was one of those days. After a quick weetabix breakfast I was on the way.
The unseasonably warm weather continued so only a base layer with my winter jacket was needed. A weekend of rest must have done wonders because the ride in was easy as pie. My legs were spinning like in a cartoon and I got to work in double quick time. However… the return journey was waiting to pounce.
Heading out of work it became apparent that the ride home was going to be interesting. After leaving the shelter of our bike shed I was hit by a wall of wind rushing into my face and almost stopping me dead in my tracks. As I had finished work early it was still light and thankfully dry so I remained in good spirits. A constant 40mph+ headwind made for a real struggle though and the closer I got to home the more I was longing shelter and a nice slice of cake.
Despite the wind, there were only 2 slightly scary incidents. They really were tiny though (I’ve got to say this in case my wife is reading):
- Waiting at a red light shortly after leaving the office I was hit by a massive gust of wind that nearly had me over. Setting off from there was quite tough! It’s funny though that when moving on the bike the gusts of wind don’t impact you as much as when stationary. It must be to do with the horizontal velocity balancing out the wind, or something like that.
- Shortly after the above photo was taken I was cycling through some unlit back roads. It was starting to get quite dark by now so I couldn’t see too far ahead. A small tree branch appeared in front of me and I didn’t have time to evade, so my wheels clattered over the top of it and I held my breath waiting for the tell tale hissing of a flat. Mercifully they held out and I could start breathing again and continue on my slog.
Relief & Rage
As mentioned I do a nursery pick-up after I get home and then have to prepare dinner, so I was looking forward to a nice slice of Christmas cake to keep me going until it was ready. Often in the last 20 mins of my journey I start thinking of what there is to eat at home. However, when I got there all that was left for me was this measly piece as the boys had obviously got home from school with the same intentions as myself! I might need to change that WiFi password for a few hours as revenge…
It’s always a sad day when the Christmas cake is finished, but the great news is my good wife is going to make another one this week!!!
Anyway, I didn’t ruin the dinner and it was amazing, and thankfully it looks like the wind will die down for the rest of the week.
- Magene Radar Tail Light - July 18, 2023
- Remembering - June 23, 2023
- School Run Fun - June 19, 2023
Mum
Neil Broadhurst
CycleCommute.CC
Andy Morrison
CycleCommute.CC