Categories: La Vie VelominatusNostalgiaTradition

La Vie Velominatus: Rebirth

Spring blossoms in Seattle

Wind is an asshole. I have no patience left for it. It has all of it been used up, gone, finished. It is the only force that I’m aware of (with the possible exception of gravity) that is more stubborn and less willing to listen to reason than I myself am. It blows me around on my bike, it embezzles speed from my Magnificent Stroke. No matter how emphatically I lose my temper with it, no matter the unprintable curses and insults I hurl in its direction, it just keeps on blowing like a big stupid blowing thing.

The weather systems that move in and out of the Puget Sound Convergence Zone are accompanied by a gale and, and as every Cyclist knows, gales blow exclusively against the direction of travel. With the changing seasons come the frequent storm systems and the unreliability of the meteorologists is amplified by the complexity of the weather patterns. Taking Bike Number One is a gamble during any of these times, but sometimes living dangerously feels better than it is sensible. Every now and then, taking #1 when you really shouldn’t can offer a bit of much-needed redemption.

Fall winds steel us for the arrival of colder, darker days. Winter around here comes with less wind, but with annoyances of its own. Our friends in more harsh climates than mine will agree: we have had a dark Winter here in the Northern Hemisphere. Seattle is a mild place to live, but even here the damp, cold, short days have taken their toll. The sun is down when I arrive at work, and it is down when I leave for home. With vitamin D in short supply, our moods sour, the chickens stop laying their eggs (there is no creature more entitled than a clucking chicken who refuses to lay an egg), and alcohol, food, and sloth start looking like viable plans of remediation.

But as Winter makes its slow exit, the winds begin to blow once again and Spring starts to dot hints that she is about to make her entrance. The redbud trees are in blossom, and the Earth is letting loose the green stalks of tulips and crocuses. The work we did over the winter was supposed to make us feel strong and fast; instead, trees bow to our arrival as the wind pushes against our face and robs us of the free flight that a Cyclist in form works so hard to achieve.

Nevertheless, this weekend I rode with bare legs, the strong headwind filling my senses with the fresh smell of damp, life-giving earth and budding blossoms. Rebirth is infectious and like the trees and plants around me, so too have I been reborn.

Wind might well be an asshole, but when it signals warmer, brighter days it somehow seems more tolerable. Vive la Vie Velominatus.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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PeakInTwoYears says:

Mar 11 2014 at 12:28 pm

@Jamie

@scaler911

@Jamie

Frank,

Cry usa river. The PNW does occasionally have a breeze, but on this side of the mountains at least, there are very few places not somewhat protected by terrain or trees. You're from Wisconsin aren't you? Remember the times where it just blows and blows uninterrupted across hundreds of kilometers and always in your face.

OTOH, congrats on riding on the right day this weekend. Saturday's ride for me was 110 Km in unrelenting rain. I should NEVER trust NOAA...

Speak for yourself. You know you live someplace windy when people come from all over the world to kite board and wind surf 40K from your house, and it's where you almost always have to ride if you're going out for more than an hour or 2.

It's windy enough in the Columbia River Gorge that we notice when it isn't windy. As an added bonus, because of "heat transfer" or whatever it's called, you'll get the wind in your face in the morning on your way out, and as it warms up in the metro area, the wind switches and will be in your face on the way home. Rarely you get the wind at your back, but when you do, it's totally awesome (like PDX Cogal V1.0)

Reading comprehension guys: PNW = Pacific Northwest and I specified "West of Mountains."

Everyone around here knows that it blows like fuck on your dusty side of the pass...

Scaler, which one of us is going to give Jamie the geography lesson? You should do it, because he's being nice and hosting me for the Seattle Ronde.
wilburrox says:

Mar 11 2014 at 1:14 pm

@cyclebrarian I saw the same race report and that snapshot reminded me that last year I was w/a small group that'd been dropped in 1st gravel section and at around mile 60 or so heading in to 2nd gravel section some cat flew by hammering on his own and looking similar to this guy. I ran in to him after the race and it was pretty clear, after having gone down hard with the face leading in 1st gravel section, he finished the race on fury. I guess two things could happen, you call it a day or ya get really pissed and hammer. The pro 1/2 group finished race at just over 4 hours avg'ing speeds that I cannot imagine racing in gravel. Serious handling skills of a bike. And maybe a bit of reckless abandon an old man like me no longer enjoys.
cyclebrarian says:

Mar 11 2014 at 1:34 pm

@wilburrox

It seems like a really cool race/ride. I want to start riding gravel and would love to do it one day.

I see you're from Pittsburgh and went to Pitt. I got my Master's degree from U of Pitt (online), but we had to go up every semester for a face to face. Love that campus and area! Used to walk down Forbes Ave to get to and from class (stopping off at Primanti Bros. for one of those crazy good sandwiches). I miss going up there.
frank says:

Mar 11 2014 at 1:37 pm

A little too cool for bare legs and arms, but the sun was out, and lookie lookie whats happening to the trees.
frank says:

Mar 11 2014 at 1:40 pm

@wilburrox

@cyclebrarian I saw the same race report and that snapshot reminded me that last year I was w/a small group that'd been dropped in 1st gravel section and at around mile 60 or so heading in to 2nd gravel section some cat flew by hammering on his own and looking similar to this guy. I ran in to him after the race and it was pretty clear, after having gone down hard with the face leading in 1st gravel section, he finished the race on fury. I guess two things could happen, you call it a day or ya get really pissed and hammer. The pro 1/2 group finished race at just over 4 hours avg'ing speeds that I cannot imagine racing in gravel. Serious handling skills of a bike. And maybe a bit of reckless abandon an old man like me no longer enjoys.

Are we talking wide-tire road bikes for this route, or Graveur bikes with canti's?

This race has completely captured my imagination.
scaler911 says:

Mar 11 2014 at 1:42 pm

@PeakInTwoYears

@Jamie

@scaler911

@Jamie

Frank,

Cry usa river. The PNW does occasionally have a breeze, but on this side of the mountains at least, there are very few places not somewhat protected by terrain or trees. You're from Wisconsin aren't you? Remember the times where it just blows and blows uninterrupted across hundreds of kilometers and always in your face.

OTOH, congrats on riding on the right day this weekend. Saturday's ride for me was 110 Km in unrelenting rain. I should NEVER trust NOAA...

Speak for yourself. You know you live someplace windy when people come from all over the world to kite board and wind surf 40K from your house, and it's where you almost always have to ride if you're going out for more than an hour or 2.

It's windy enough in the Columbia River Gorge that we notice when it isn't windy. As an added bonus, because of "heat transfer" or whatever it's called, you'll get the wind in your face in the morning on your way out, and as it warms up in the metro area, the wind switches and will be in your face on the way home. Rarely you get the wind at your back, but when you do, it's totally awesome (like PDX Cogal V1.0)

Reading comprehension guys: PNW = Pacific Northwest and I specified "West of Mountains."

Everyone around here knows that it blows like fuck on your dusty side of the pass...

Scaler, which one of us is going to give Jamie the geography lesson? You should do it, because he's being nice and hosting me for the Seattle Ronde.

You do know where Portland is geographically right? Right at the west end of the firehose of wind that is The Gorge.

For your viewing pleasure, Vista House, Jan 16th of this year:

)
cyclebrarian says:

Mar 11 2014 at 1:42 pm

@frank

It's 71 degrees here on Maryland's Eastern Shore today...wish I was out riding - can't go after work 'cause I work until 8:00 tonight. We better enjoy it because it's supposed to be 35 degrees on Thursday.
The Oracle says:

Mar 11 2014 at 2:30 pm

@teleguy57

@The Oracle

@teleguy57 Where are you situated, teleguy?

Appleton.

Well, shit. We're practically neighbors.
cyclebrarian says:

Mar 11 2014 at 2:32 pm

@frank

@wilburrox

@cyclebrarian I saw the same race report and that snapshot reminded me that last year I was w/a small group that'd been dropped in 1st gravel section and at around mile 60 or so heading in to 2nd gravel section some cat flew by hammering on his own and looking similar to this guy. I ran in to him after the race and it was pretty clear, after having gone down hard with the face leading in 1st gravel section, he finished the race on fury. I guess two things could happen, you call it a day or ya get really pissed and hammer. The pro 1/2 group finished race at just over 4 hours avg'ing speeds that I cannot imagine racing in gravel. Serious handling skills of a bike. And maybe a bit of reckless abandon an old man like me no longer enjoys.

Are we talking wide-tire road bikes for this route, or Graveur bikes with canti's?

This race has completely captured my imagination.

Here's a video from their site: http://www.rougeroubaix.com/course-map.html
Jamie says:

Mar 11 2014 at 2:40 pm

OK, OK, I guess I don't know my own geography or meteorology. All I can say is that I have never been so effected by wind whilst cycling as I was during the four year sentence I served living a few blocks off of Lake Michigan in Chicago.

Around here I hear folks complain about wind during a ride and find myself thinking, "Oh, they're right, there is a little breeze today."

I can remember many Chicago rides where falling off the back 20 miles North of home is the difference between a 70 minute ride in and a two hour ride in.