Good Bike News — Bad Bike News
The good news is that the temperature is not only acceptable for riding a bike, it is also pleasant. Not too cold and certainly not too hot. I’d almost say perfect.
The bad news is that we are still getting strong, winter winds: in excess of 18 miles an hour sustained for much of last week and the weekend.
South Florida: Flat With No Place to Hide
South Florida is flat. It also lacks natural reasons to turn roads such as hills, lakes and other terrain obstacles. Our streets are aligned north/south and east/west for the most part. There is rarely a turn or curve and there is never a hill to hide behind from the wind. If you’re doing an out-n-back ride, whatever you have going out, you’ll have the opposite going back.
Given what other people cyclists in other parts of the world are living with right now, I guess I can’t complain too much. After all, it is 80 degrees instead of 20 degrees. That is something, right?
Still, as you can see from the flag flapping and cracking in the wind, it ain’t perfect here in Palm Beach just yet.
Give Us a Ride Report Right Now
Now it is your turn. Give us a ride report right now. You can brag or complain, good weather or bad. If you haven’t yet spun the wheels this year, what are your plans? What is your first event of the season?
—Matt
I’m surprised to see you writing about the wind. Your Dad told me a while back that wind shouldn’t be a problem, just go into a lower gear to keep the same cadence.
Still, I HATE the wind. You can go into a lower gear and pedal to beat the band, but feel like you’re not getting anywhere. And last week with a strong wind off the Intracoastal along Flagler Drive, I felt like it was going to blow me off the bike sideways.
Yeah, sure, you can just go slower. What fun is slower?
How would you feel if your car was stuck in first gear? You could still get places but it certainly would not be fun.
—Matt