A fine commute in big breeze
Today the wind was blowing thirty plus out of the southeast, yet the temperature was above freezing, so I decided to commute from Hull to Boston by bicycle, which is my favorite form of transport.
The wind was on the nose leaving Hull, a small seaside town that is a flat peninsula, so when the wind hits you, it isn't diminished by hills and the like. The front wheel on the bike is a Rolf Vector Pro with a wide rim, so it acts like a sail. As long as the wind is straight ahead, everything is fine. The challenge is when you turn the wheel to the wind, it becomes a sail that drives you downwind quickly.
Fortunately, the wind was pushing me away from traffic toward the sidewalk so it was all manageable. Uncle Bryan saw me early on the ride and asked if I'd like a lift in his righteous Jeep. "No thanks, but thanks for stopping."
It's good to have friends who drive to work, because in the event of a catastrophic breakdown, it's great to be able to throw the bike in the back and get a ride to work.
No one at work wants to hear that you're three hours late because you had to push the bike for 15 miles. That's not professional.
The endorphin rush of a good commute is tough to beat. It makes everything look better.
My art director partner at work, Dave, was supposed to go to New York today on the shuttle. The flights are all cancelled due to high wind, so he got bumped to a train.
Training for the Tour de France Challenge is a bit like building a large wall of bricks. You start with a good foundation, then every day you add one more brick to the pile. If you skip a brick, it weakens the wall. If you skip a whole section, the wall will fall down. Thus far, I am enjoying the process. There's a sweetness to the pain of training, in that it is pain in a measured, prescribed dose.
The wind was on the nose leaving Hull, a small seaside town that is a flat peninsula, so when the wind hits you, it isn't diminished by hills and the like. The front wheel on the bike is a Rolf Vector Pro with a wide rim, so it acts like a sail. As long as the wind is straight ahead, everything is fine. The challenge is when you turn the wheel to the wind, it becomes a sail that drives you downwind quickly.
Fortunately, the wind was pushing me away from traffic toward the sidewalk so it was all manageable. Uncle Bryan saw me early on the ride and asked if I'd like a lift in his righteous Jeep. "No thanks, but thanks for stopping."
It's good to have friends who drive to work, because in the event of a catastrophic breakdown, it's great to be able to throw the bike in the back and get a ride to work.
No one at work wants to hear that you're three hours late because you had to push the bike for 15 miles. That's not professional.
The endorphin rush of a good commute is tough to beat. It makes everything look better.
My art director partner at work, Dave, was supposed to go to New York today on the shuttle. The flights are all cancelled due to high wind, so he got bumped to a train.
Training for the Tour de France Challenge is a bit like building a large wall of bricks. You start with a good foundation, then every day you add one more brick to the pile. If you skip a brick, it weakens the wall. If you skip a whole section, the wall will fall down. Thus far, I am enjoying the process. There's a sweetness to the pain of training, in that it is pain in a measured, prescribed dose.
posted by joe berkeley at 10:48 AM
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