A Mighty Wind

Thursday

Somehow IDOT must not have gotten my missive, because cars do NOT clear a path for me on the highway. Sigh, the things I have to put up with. But enough whining – Sálome and I have some serious riding to do. I pump up the tires, and as I’m wheeling her out of my mom’s garage, I notice a rather loud humming kind of sound coming from the back wheel, derailleur, something. Hmm. I decide this must be a function of her sparkly newness, that the chains and such just have to “settle in.” No problemo - we are stylin'! Off we go!

1 mile away

Damn, it’s amazing how much fitness one can lose when one counts a lot of deep breathing as training. Who knew? Even though a lot of that was at altitude – yeah, maybe that’s it. I’m just not used to being at sea level.

4 miles away

I guess when they said there’d be 34 mph winds today, they weren’t kidding. Figures. However, I’m pleased to note that my chunkification strategy has worked exactly according to plan. You see, given how light Sálome is, I would be blown off the road, easily, if the added pounds I so painstakingly and deliberately put on weren’t helping to anchor me to the road. Training tip for the newbies: It’s important to start off the season as hefty as possible, losing that weight only as the season goes on. This is a critical training tool, the equivalent of wearing a tire around your neck or of using crappy wheels in training. Then, when race day rolls around and you’re so much lighter from having given up the bonbons for the previous week and having put on the Zipps, you’ll just fly along.

Still riding

I realize that before I just got on my bike willy-nilly after putting the new saddle on, perhaps I should have actually taken a measurement or two to make sure I wouldn’t be doing an imitation of someone riding a clown bike. I know, crazy talk. At least now I’ve learned to always have my multitool with me, so I finally get off to adjust. Luckily, this puts me out of the way as a trash can lid comes flying by, then some hay from the nearby last remaining pig farm in Kane County, and then.......... is that a house? No, it just seems that windy.

Far too much later

After struggling through mighty winds that had me too paranoid to try the aerobars much at all, I decide to head back. Clearly, I’m back to the Land of Suckitude as far as my cycling is concerned. I don’t know how that crept up on me, but it did, as I’ve gone from doing 100+ mile rides almost effortlessly last summer to struggling up what could hardly even be called “hills” out in Huntley. I get back to my mom’s, and as I’m wheeling Sálome into the garage so that I can go thaw out, I’m still hearing that damn humming sound. I look down at the back wheel to see if I can figure anything out and.......oh. Oh.

Note to self:

Picking the windiest day of the year thus far AND discovering only after you get back from a hellacious ride that the back brake pad is flush up against the wheel – these are not exactly what one could call precursors to success. And are probably not the best way to start off one’s outdoor triathlon training season, especially on a new bike, as they are not particularly known for boosting one’s confidence. Just an FYI.



Other than all that.........the SNB (Shiny New Bike) is lovely. Swoon........