Wind - 1, Julie - 0

On today's agenda was a 4 hour ride: 2h10 one way, and then time trial back. The wind had other ideas. It was blowing HARD from the west (the normal way). I decided on a southerly route so I would have a monster cross wind both ways, and a head wind coming home.

CRAP.

I took 4 big Balls of Fury with me and ate them all before the 2 hour mark. I was working hard in the wind and I was starving. I made it to a gas station and ran in there and grabbed a Snickers and started eating it right then and there. The guy was outside filling gas and there was no way I was waiting for him to come back in -- I was ravenous. I threw down a $10 bill and just kept eating as the man finally came back inside, and went behind the counter. He asked me what I wanted to buy...

I still had my sunglasses on and was standing there at the counter wolfing down the Snickers -- I held up the half-eaten Snickers bar and kept chomping away. Hahahahahahaha!!!

The rest of the ride was just as brutal -- even more so, when I had to pedal past my house as I still had time to make up the 4 hours. But WHOOIIEEE when I turned around and had the wind at my back -- YEEHAWWWW!!! :) :) The ride was more like grind in your easiest gear for 3 hours and 50 minutes, and FLY for 10 minutes.

And no, I will never tire of telling everyone just how windy it is here. In fact, "windy" isn't even the right word. "Wind" gives the impression of something soft, wispy, airy, breezy. What happens in the Crowsnest Pass is something out of a horror film -- violent surging gusts --- you want to know what a speed wobble feels like? You don't even have to cycle fast to get blasted every which way.

The "wind" is like a screaming, raging banshee. We don't own patio furniture in the Crowsnest Pass - no nice little lanterns or garden wind chimes, or any of those other nice outdoor paraphernalia. Because they will literally blow away. BLAST away. Even parts of my fence have blown down....

This is why I get such a kick out of hearing other people's stories of "wind" while cycling. A typical day in the Pass: When you try to open your car door, you struggle as though you are lifting an elephant. Then, it takes all of your strength to hang onto the door (now the elephant is jerking about) and not have it ripped out of your hands. Now THAT's a wind, my friends.

LMAO!!!!!!

OOH yeah -- and the fun part is when a big semi truck comes by and the "wind" is just right and it feels like a brick wall of air hits your whole body and bike. This happened once today. I closed my eyes involuntarily -- like I knew it was the end. Hahahahahahaah!!

Had a 15 min. brick afterward which went surprisingly well -- even into the wind. But, as soon as I got inside the house, I started eating again. And continued to eat for the last couple of hours. Hahahahahaha!!

And of course now, the wind has died down: Wind - 1, Me - 0. Until next time....

:) :)