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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scaler911 says:

Mar 11 2014 at 10:02 am

@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)
wilburrox says:

Mar 11 2014 at 10:04 am

@frank A visit to New Orleans for family AND Rouge Roubaix? (!) I can assure ya that there is most certainly a Laissez Les Bon Temps Roule attitude just about anywhere in Louisiana that carries in to the race. Early a.m. I'm squaring away start times and am informed by race staff that there is still time to get drunk. Probably only half serious I'm guessing. Anyways, someone from the master's group posted this year's race day blockhouse climb on youtube. This comes at mile 65 with grade in excess of 15% on gravel and the run-up road being lunar landscape. Last year was fresh gravel = deep and Hard. This year was washed out so FAST... therefore = Hard. That's the old saying isn't it? Doesn't get easier, just faster. RC
PeakInTwoYears says:

Mar 11 2014 at 10:27 am

@scaler911

Or how about east of the mountains? No wind over there...
TheVid says:

Mar 11 2014 at 10:29 am

@PeakInTwoYears

@frank

PT, cute little town. Decent beer. Okay food. Good little farmer's market. Good bookstore. I could live there. You have to own a sailboat, though. That you built yourself. With hand tools. It's the law.

Funny, that's exactly what I was thinking about when you mentioned Port Townsend. I've been there exactly twice. Got there both times by sailboat, first to have the boat measured for a dodger, then to have it installed. Great little town. Good ice-cream shop too.
Pounder says:

Mar 11 2014 at 10:30 am

Last weekend I rode the the Dalles Mtn 60 (96k) in shorts.

http://velodirt.com/dalles-mountain-60-2013-edition/

First ride of the season with legs showing. About 300 riders. Now legs until next winter!
TheVid says:

Mar 11 2014 at 10:33 am

@frank

Just sand and no salt? That's a good thing at least. MN thaws also came with the painful reality that I couldn't ride #1 until after the first street sweeping in order to avoid the cursed salt from getting into everything.

They salt some of the main roads when they can, but by the time they got to my street, it was too cold for salt to be effective. Ergo, sand only. I think the daytime high at the time was around -24C or so, overnight lows near -35C, wind-chill into the -40s.
cyclebrarian says:

Mar 11 2014 at 11:12 am

@wilburrox

@frank A visit to New Orleans for family AND Rouge Roubaix? (!) I can assure ya that there is most certainly a Laissez Les Bon Temps Roule attitude just about anywhere in Louisiana that carries in to the race. Early a.m. I'm squaring away start times and am informed by race staff that there is still time to get drunk. Probably only half serious I'm guessing. Anyways, someone from the master's group posted this year's race day blockhouse climb on youtube. This comes at mile 65 with grade in excess of 15% on gravel and the run-up road being lunar landscape. Last year was fresh gravel = deep and Hard. This year was washed out so FAST... therefore = Hard. That's the old saying isn't it? Doesn't get easier, just faster. RC

I just read about that event. And saw this pic and read about this guy:

Apparently, he wiped out at mile 30 and rode the other 70 miles in this condition. Definitely Rule #5 compliant.
teleguy57 says:

Mar 11 2014 at 11:14 am

@The Oracle

@teleguy57 Where are you situated, teleguy?

Appleton.
Jamie says:

Mar 11 2014 at 11:50 am

@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...
Ron says:

Mar 11 2014 at 12:10 pm

@anthony

@frank as a middle aged full time student I somehow manage devote 2 hrs a day for my self taught no credit cycling classes. I am either a shitty student or a bad teacher, not sure on that one yet.

I have been a really terrible student for a few years. This year I decided I don't want to be a middle aged grad student, so I've put the bikes away a few days a week and am determined to V-out the final leg of my studies.

I was an awesome cyclist for a few years though, and that's not bad at all!