if you don't feel the wind, it's because it's behind you

I think I've crossed into a new era of my cycling.

Friday and saturday's rides felt like i was cycling through mud. Utter mud. i've been fighting myself, my legs, my lungs, my heart and my bike. Outside of myself, the wind, terrain, cars, kids, dogs, and crazy ass birds that like to shit on you when your cycling under their tree with your mouth open.

I finished in my normal time. I'm not really getting any better timewise.  Saturday i planned to make a night of it, but after helping my neighbor, i was tired and worn out.  I went to bed early. i woke up sunday, ate some eggs and shredded wheat, and mentally prepared myself for a longer ride. And the wind. jeez the wind.

I made it outside around 1, and started pushing my way to the lake.  Weirdly,and suddenly, everything started working. My heart didnt hurt. My lungs pushed air with ease.  My leg muscles and my core activated and stayed that way.  I started climbing hills out of the saddle and my heart told me to go.

My goal was about 30 miles.  The longest ride since my eye surgery.  I made it to the lake and WAM..the wind hit me. Oh for the love of GOD was it blowing.  But i activated rather quickly and stompped my way to the dam.  Off I went. And i felt great.

Now i've decided to take the new crossover to the White Rock Bike trail.  What a horrid mess that is. The sand and crap from all the ice storms, has been flung onto the sidewalks. The same and only sidewalks your forced to use to cross Northwest hwy. Coupled with my anxiety about where to go, i pushed across the street to the Dart Rail.  There I met a worse sidewalk, littered with trash and people and other cyclists.  Confined by the speeding cards, i rode my brake down the hill, terrified of that one moment when I lose control and well, die.  AS if that's not bad enough,they make you cross this empty liquor store parking lot. Really? It's full of potholes, broken bottles, trash, sticker..basically if i were going to create a trap to rid the word of bicycles, this would be the asphalt hell.  By the time i managed to get through the minefield, i stopped and wiped my tires.

Then i headed up the trail. AWesome! I was FLYING. No wind down in here, this is great. Then i started encountering all the washed up debris from the rain snow and ice.  What bullshit.

When i turned around, i coined a term in my head. "if you don't feel the wind, it's because it's behind you."  Wow. So, this is where they were keeping it.

I Made a wide berth around some guy hauling an obnoxious sign card. I could barely speak the wind was so strong. He made a pointe at yelling at me for not saying anything. So i told him over my shoulder to have a nice day. Whatever.

Right in front of the tennis courts, i feel something weird.

Now i expected my first flat to be a traumatizing, hip breaking, cycling ending incident.  It was more like..gee that sounds weird.  

Of course it has to be the back tire.  What's up with that. It's almost like the universe made a deal w/ the bicycle gods...Only back tires. In fact, the trail was so full of shit, i saw a lot of flats along the way.

I started getting my tire repair on, when a nice man decided to stop, despite my protests that I could handle it, and help me.  IT turned an  hour ordeal into a 1/2 hour. He seemed to fumble a bit too, but then helped me, introduced himself and went on his way.

So, a couple of turning points. My first flat.  My body is now responding. And i've started shopping for cool badass jerseys off Ebay instead of going to the local shops. (Which btw, never have ANYTHING cool for women)

Why do guys get all the cool jerseys?

Now i jsut have to find out what a "Brick" is.

Clear skies!