Thoughts on rain and headwinds

Because it is Monday, raining and I am pausing between fibery pursuits to get caught up on various web stuff.

We did another 33 mile ride out in the country yesterday through the usual headwinds. Our route was basically a big rectangle going north out of the town of Katy, west through Harding, south through Brookshire and then back east again to Katy. We had headwinds on three out of the four sides of the rectangle so don't try and convince me that the wind didn't change direction. The last 10 or so miles were particularly fun as they were not only against the wind but into a heavily pelting rain. I'm really tired of riding into the rain, but I am getting good at riding prone, hunched over on my flat handlebars and riding with bikers tunnel vision while replaying Mozart requiems in my head.

The headwinds, on the other hand have sort of stopped discouraging me. I don't love them but have reached a point where I realize that if I want to ride, I will be riding into headwinds whatever the occasion so I shouldn't let myself use it as an excuse.

I guess the battle back 20 miles the other day through the really strong headwinds and gusts not only clarified why you need 23 gears in flat Houston, but also cured my headwind phobia.

I tried to go out again today, just to prove to myself that I could do two or three sort of longish heavy mileage days in a row, but as I hit Harlem road and the Richmond border I got nearly blown into the ditch and then the rain started. This was not a polite little downpour, this was in your face, down your throat, start you coughing and drown a frog rain. Discretion being the better part of wisdom I turned around and trudged home against, yes you guessed it, the same damn headwind I had been fighting going out. It just isn't fair!

Nothing loath, I figure since it is obviously in my future that I will be spending a lot of time leaning over my upright style road bike handlebars, hunching against the wind, that it is time for me to get some prone type supports put on the bike. So trekkie is in the bike shop getting refitted and in the meantime I am putting the finishing touches on a sweater of handspun merino, pictures to follow in a few days.