Windshifts - Not Fair

Yesterday FR and I caught up on our ride-a-week campaign to prepare for the Muerto - we're a dedicated twosome we are - and headed out to travel-by-pedal the beginning and end of the July Sunflower Festival ZoatKnacker race. The plan was to ride just over 50 miles. We were positive that we could do this in the time allotted. We were optimistic. We felt good.

We got close. On the way out down the beetloader road heading for Schanzenfeld, the wind was a minimally antagonistic North by Nor'Wester. We could hold our pace at 28+ k/h. We felt fine. We rockstarred it through the Blumengart Colony, waving at the kerchiefed beauties and enjoying the smells and the pavement. The epicest village ever, Schanzenfeld, slipped by and we were feeling pretty good.

At some point along that way I prophesied (oh why oh why do I prophesy) that the wind we thought was somewhat agin us, might actually have shifted to be somewhat with us, which would mean ... that's right, a double-into-the-wind'er. And so it goes out on the prairie gravel.

Two miles past Schanzenfeld we turned South to drift with the wind past the green gates of the Chortitz (that's Kor-Teeetz) Cemetery. After a mere three miles of with-wind-goodness we turned back East and, of course, the wind was now obviously a North by Nor'Easter. Crap.

And then there was the newly covered gravel roads, and some soft clay ones, and before we knew it we were pretty damn tired. Just thinking about going into the wind both ways makes me tired. Add soft new gravel and I'm exhausted. But we soldiered on to the 306, where we abandoned the gravel and embraced the pavement. We're weak, we know. But there are miles to go before we sleep.

Still, we managed to do 50 miles, and remind ourselves that optimism is good for starting, but unlikely when finishing.

Into the wind

Over on Yantsied (also spelled Jantsied at the Plautdietsch Dictionary) the MIT's BigJac calls it the "Riding the Manitoba Mountain". That's a positive way of thinking about it. The question is, how does riding into the wind compare to riding up a mountain, say like the Galibier, or Alpe d'Huez, or Ventoux?

Well, it turns out that some German site has developed an online calculator to answer just this question. Today I rode from home to Emerson, then to Dominion City, then to Letellier, then back home (just under 80 ks). The wind was 30 ks gusting to 50 ks (I'll say it was an average of 35 ks) from the southeast, which means I road more or less into the wind from home to Emerson (23 ks), and then from Letellier to the 421 (7 ks) into some sort of wind. Over the entire ride I averaged 29 k/h. Into the wind I averaged about 24 k/h, which means, according to this calculator, my wattage output was 547 - which seems like a lot!

If I compare this to riding up Mt. Ventoux (which I did in April of 2011), a 22.7 k ride over which I averaged 13 k/h, my wattage was 233. IF I could hold a 24 k/h average up Ventoux, the wattage would be 484 (which means I wasn't working hard enough when I was climbing). So if this is to be believed, riding into a 35 k/h wind is physically harder than riding up a 23 k, 7% grade hill. (Of course Ventoux has stretches where the grade is less and more than 7% (up to 11%).)

It makes sense to me that riding into the wind is more taxing mentally, because it's relentless, and the reward the wind gives is more fickle than flying down a hill. But I'm more skeptical that it takes about half of the energy to climb, than to ride into a wind.

Operacion Muerto - The training continues

FR and I intend to take up the Muerto Challenge to bike across this fair province from Virden to Falcon Lake (450 ks) on gravel or dirt. 

To prepare (or at least nod at preparing) we're riding on Tuesdays. Today's preparations involved a ride from A-town to St.Jo to the 75 to the 421 and back to A-town: 53 ks. The wind was ENE at around 25 ks for the first leg (into it), and then it died down to about 15 ks just in time for the last leg (with it) - classic.

Riding gravel would be better, but things have been a bit ... wet ... lately. So it goes. Muerto indeed.

Sunday Victoria Day long weekend ride

It's the long weekend. You have to ride. But it's raining and blowing. A lot. 30 k NE wind gusting to 50 and the forecast for Monday (which is today) is worse (which was correct). What to do? Ride with GeeVs! 

We headed into it, going East to the 75, then North to Letellier, then West to the 30 (via St. Jo), then South through A-town to the 421, then East again to Neubergthal. 

The two of us traded blows, assailing the wind wildly, and managing to tame her/it/him in one hour & 45. A good day. A wet day. A windy day. But it's better to have a day on the bike, than not. 

Here's GeeVs after the ride:

And this film about Ezra Caldwell (bike-builder & cancer-fucker) is pretty great. Here's his website too.

A regular ride, with dogs

In winter I ride the gravel roads. There's less traffic, and less ice, but there are more dogs. In summer I ride the highway about as often as I ride the gravel. When it's raining, I ride the pavement. When it's not, I usually ride the gravel. What gives me pause about the gravel in summer, are the dogs. 

There are two sets of dogs along the gravel way, about a mile apart. The first pair charge out pretty hard together and then the male takes over, coming within two or three feet of my pedals and "herding" me by moving from one side to the other. He's an asshole, but he's never bitten. Still, he pisses me off, especially in winter, because who needs to worry about what a dog's going to do when you're riding through snow. 

The second pair are led by the male who charges really hard, snarling and coming up on the near side. If it's a windy day and I can't ride as fast as he can run, he cuts me off and forces me to move over and change paths. Once, during the winter before last, he came out so hard he crossed my path just as I got there, and I ran into him and went down. He's an annoying, dangerous, asshole. 

Both dog pairs have owners who know they are a menace. Both dog owners seem to be at a loss about what to do, or they don't think it's that big a deal. Well it is to me, and in spring, summer, and fall, I sometimes choose to ride the pavement just to avoid the dogs. I know, I'm a wimp.

Today I rode gravel in the morning and both dogs were out in fine form. I paid as little attention to them as possible, which seems to be the best tactic. On the way home, I road the pavement. The morning was about 8'C with a light Northwest wind, and the afternoon was around 20'C with a steady Northeast wind. 

Two rides, two big winds

This is not because of the beans, or the milk products, or the raisins, or the pork chop, all of which may bring about some gastric poofiness, but because of the confluence, on Monday and then today, of weather systems that caused significant windspeed. Fortunately for me, the wind was generally in my favour, as on Monday I awoke to a 30 to 40 k wind from the southeast, and on Tuesday I awoke at 5 AM to a doozy of a gale gusting up to 80 k/h from the West, which calmed right down to a manageable 20 ks south wind by 7:30. Both rides in to work were very reasonable indeed.

On the way home on Monday, the wind had shifted to the north, coming in at about 40 ks, which was again quite manageable, and today the wind again shifted, this time to the west, coming in at up to 80 ks! I did the last 3 miles of the ride in 5 minutes! That's spinning out my 44 - 11 cross bike. Good times!

Unfortunately the afternoon ride planned with FR did not seem reasonable, as we'd have had to have taken on that beast of a breeze head on for a good while, and then also manage it from the side for as much or more time. We decided to take a raincheck.

Plans are for a road ride on the Walhalla Loop this Saturday or Sunday with GeeVs and any other brave souls from ABES or Wpg or MIT who might show up. It'll likely be a bit wet, but they're riding in worse in Italy, so we can bring it too.

Mother's Day Ride

My mom died in June of 1991. On Mother's Day I ride for her. Hokey I know, but I'm riding.

Today's ride was 53 ks from N to the 75 to L to St. J to A-town and back to N. Average speed was 32 k/h. I felt great! The bike felt great! I kept the cadence up between 90 and 100 religiously. It is Sunday after all.

Time to pick up the aging father for faspa.

Later.