@postaday 214; #postaday2011.
For me as a bicyclist, I feel as though the wind is a formidable foe. Gusts take you by surprise and cause you to wobble at the most inopportune times. It’s fine training. It keeps you sharp. It helps you improve your reaction times to the stimuli that’s on the road, in the wild, even beyond the wind.
Here are today’s stats at Garmin Connect. I use a Garmin Edge 500. LOVE IT!
Still, the element of surprise is no fun when you’re riding a bicycle.
Wind or no wind, last night I had made my mind up that I would do the hills today. No matter how many times I go up Kamiloiki, it seems to never get any easier. Today while doing my climb I passed over a toenail clipper and a bicycle chain. Some hippy kinda guy came out of the side street at the top (cheater, LOL!) and he saw them, too. He stood up on his bike, while on that gawd awful hill, and chatted with me about the bicycle chain. Then he whipped over the hill like it was no big deal. For him, it probably wasn’t.
I followed him up to Makapu’u Lookout, but he kept going. After Hawaii Kai Golf Course I ran over a broken Budweiser bottle in the bicycle lane. Then there were two old dudes running together, so I asked them if they’d kick it out of the way. I hope they understood me. I’ll see tomorrow, I guess.
When I came down Makapu’u, I must have taken it easy, as I only topped out at 39.6mph. Or maybe that was going down Kamiloiki? No matter where I was during my ride, it felt like the wind was my constant coach, goading me, pushing me, forcing me to work harder and harder.
Two young dudes came out of the Aloha Gas Station lot at Kahala in front of me, and I thought I better let them go. But after a while it was apparent that I was going to overtake them, so I did. I said, “On your left,” to the one in the back and he got over but then his bike wobbled. I couldn’t tell if he was playing games with me or if he lost balance. Then I passed the other one. Usually when I pass guys on bikes they get all hormonal and want revenge. But these guys couldn’t keep up. Kiss My Derailleur!
I got a kick out of seeing dogs at obedience school on the grounds of Niu Valley Middle School. I rarely stop my ride to take a picture, especially when I’m between my destinations. But I thought it was a good idea, so I created a gifshop gif. It’s better to see the pups and their peeps in person, but take a look!
Music lesson and a study date for Kid1, a birthday party for Kid2, a run for John, and a nap for me fill the rest of today’s schedule. I should probably push a vacuum around, too.
Lavagal 