Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wind.

It was blasting away here in the Pass yesterday when I took my bike out. I knew it was going to be a brutal ride when I saw the trees bending in the wind and had hard time hearing my parents as they came walking up the front lawn....

And it was. A brutal ride.

I rode into the wind for the first bit -- there were a number of times the wind would buffet me about, and I nearly fell over a handful of times. That got my heart racing and my legs pedaling I tell you!! I was wobbling occasionally and stopped once on the way out to see if I had a flat....Nope.


When I eventually turned around, the tail wind was so strong and the cross winds so unpredictable, this was the first time I had to ride my brakes with the tail wind on the way home. I had a number of wobbles here too and stopped once more to make sure I didn't have a flat. Nope! Just the freaking wind!!

As I wobbled (or as the wheels "danced" underneath me -- this is how I use positive self-talk to eliminate fear, LOL!!) I experimented with different body positions to try and not wobble any more. Hahahahahahahahah!!! Haven't figured out the correct posture yet, but I'm not afraid of wobbling anymore. Errrrrr...IS that a good thing? LOL!!!!

So, I thought I'd compile a little list...


You Know it is Windy in the Crowsnest Pass When.....

  • You have trouble opening your car door to get into the car, AND you have trouble hanging onto it as you get in the car to prevent it from being ripped from its hinges...

Should have held on to that door buddy!
  • The new decorative light standards purchased by town council are not strong enough to hold decorative flower pots....


Seriously, there was quite the uproar when it was discovered
the new standards wouldn't hold up in the wind....
  • Drivers do a double take when they see the flags in front of the town office in Coleman ARE NOT MOVING. People call each other up: "Quick! Get outside and DO something! the wind is not blowing!"



  • There are whitecaps at the Lakes. (Errrr, is there ever a time there isn't whitecaps at the Lakes? Hee-hee!)

Now you know why you NEVER see people on that lake! LOL!

  • When turning into Pincher Creek, you think there is something wrong with your steering wheel as you have to hold it crooked to keep your car driving straight....

AARGH!! She's a blowin' today matey!


Well, that's all folks! Penticton camp is coming up this weekend and I am looking forward to some great training and some HEAT. I'll leave the wind here thank you very much. Heh-heh-heh. Happy training everyone! :) :)

6 comments:

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I never heard of a tailwind so strong you had to feather the breaks. What was your top K 60-70?

Have fun at camp, I want to do a camp, nothing in my region

Amy said...

Hilarious pictures. Hang in there with the wind and have fun at camp! Can't wait to hear about it.

Jenna said...

Ok - until I drove thru that god forsaken place you live - i never knew the wind could blow like that and it not be a tornado. I had to focus so hard to keep my car on the road - it freak the shit out of me - not sure you would ever find me on a bike out there. When I got to theother side and our convoy stopped I was like WTF was that??

Suzanne said...

Bahahahahaha! You are so funny :) You always make me feel good about training in Sparwood. Sure the shoulders are half the width of yours but our winds are about half as bad as yours. Even still, I almost crashed when a big truck went by today. Major adrenaline!! Have fun in Penticton and see ya for a coffee for sure in August. Enjoy the sun :)

Julie said...

Big Daddy -- I don't know what my top speed was; I don't have a bike computer...It wasn't just the tail wind that was scary, it iwas the tail wind coupled with random gusts of crosswinds. I nearly wet myself (not on purpose!) a few times. Hahaha!

Sue -- We for SURE have a coffee date after Penticton! Maybe I'll swing down to Sparwood to see ya! I buy my bulk quinoa, dates, and coconut and Overwaitea....And those scary big trucks around Sparwood -- no wonder your adrenaline got going!!!!

Jenna -- Hahahahaha!!! Funny...I say WTF was THAT?!?!?! after every ride. LMAO!!!

Amy -- Hi! Hee-hee!!

Beth said...

Um, that is some wind! I guess it's good practice for bike handling!