It is difficult to maintain a pleasurable ride when the wind is smacking you in the face, slowing you down, and preventing you from getting anywhere. Youโll feel like youโre cycling underwater with each pedal turn getting harder and heavier as the wind saps your vitality and leaves you panting for more โgoโ.
The myth that you cannot have a tailwind when riding a bike is one that is well known, but in todayโs post, we will talk about the best ways to confirm your greatest dread, how to identify if you are riding against the wind.
Flags
While youโre out of breath and panicking, looking for someone to blame for your failing health โ the first place to turn your attention is to the top of flagpoles.
If youโre looking for an easy way to know if the wind is against you, consider all those things that flap in the breeze: flags, banners, weathervanes, and windsocks. Even if it doesnโt make the ride any easier, it will take the blame for your legsโ difficulties away from them.
Aircraft (and birds)
But if you donโt have any of those wind-born wavers in your commute, you have other possibilities. To see plane traffic at an airport, you must keep your eyes on the skies when you are riding near it. Landing and taking off with the wind at your back is advantageous as it makes planes heavier. Thatโs correct, the same wind that could wreck your commute can let you soar beautifully into the air aboard 750,000-pound slabs of metal!
Youโre headed into the wind if you witness planes landing or taking off in the same direction as you.
However, if your airport is distant, you can use their natural equivalent (though it is somewhat less dependable). The same factors that are necessary for the takeoff and landing of airplanes are also needed for the flights of birds. That is, if you notice birds flying away from the trees or headed toward a landing when youโre on your way somewhere, youโve got a headwind. You may post your anti-natural-disaster diatribe on Facebook.
Ridersโ Faces Other Than
You wonโt have aircraft or wildlife to look for your next hint. The riders heading the other direction will be your only clue. If your other riders are seated, smiling, and appear to be in good spirits while they pass you rather than grimacing in sympathy for your situation, itโs safe to assume that youโve got a headwind.
Not only is the difference between your headwind and the other cyclistsโ tailwind obvious, but because wind assistance on bikes is still considered largely mythical, you canโt presume the other riders are benefiting from any meteorological help.
your personal language
However, what do you do if youโre in the middle of the desert, without any markers or anything else, and there are no other riders or friendly faces coming back towards you? Your solution might be right here in front of you. Right, if your thoughts are usually stuck in your head with some song playing, the hypothetical arguments you could have won, or the daydreams about taking the podium at the track, then today your mouth is talking a nonstop stream of curse words and creative curses. It must be that evil invisible force, the wind.
Those who make the transition from Mary Poppins to swearing sailors may find themselves venting their frustrations with headwinds.
Grief
And bad language is often only the beginning. Knowing the five phases of grieving might help you identify when youโre cycling into a headwind. Itโs clear that the phrase โheadwind hustleโ describes grieving well, therefore itโs imperative to understand how your brain processes that trauma in order to discover why youโre having difficulty. While using the manual reverse, youโll pass through the following five stages:
Refusal: โIโll say, riding is difficult today. I must have slept in an awkward position or drunk too much the night before.โ
Anger: โYou &&ing @#&*$.โ (see the swearing section)
Negotiating: โYou can let me make it to work, canโt you? Iโm just going to walk to get there today.โ
The blues: โI despise the climate. I despise meteorologists. I despise the sky. How I curse this terrible, unfriendly world.โ
welcoming: โWhat a terrible wind. I can at least skip the interval workouts this week.โ
Youโll eventually arrive at acceptance, and when you do, youโll know.
Bike thieves and those who have personally wounded your family are the only ones who should be subjected to headwinds.
At least now you have an idea of what to expect. Minimizing the consequences of a headwind is a good strategy, but nothing can eliminate them altogether. Be aware that weโre going through this with you. We will be seeing you in the crowd.
