Day 3 - 30 Days of Biking



The few happy miles I had with the wind at my back lol



When I think about Day 3 of 30 Days of Biking the only word that comes to mind is: windy.  Today I started my ride at a nearby trail system that I ride on a lot.  It’s awesome because it goes back behind Offutt Air Force Base, so there are always jets in the sky to watch while riding.  For the majority of my time in the saddle today I was too busy fighting to keep my bike upright in the wind to spend much time looking in the sky.  I tried to stay down in the drops for the most part as a ways to keep from acting like the “human sail” and absorbing the gusts, but it was still a killer.  At one point when I turned a corner I had a headwind that was so strong it took me into the single digits on my speedometer!  It was intense!



Stew's 1974 Nishiki



Finally though, I made it behind the Air Force base to the park where I would turn around (and have the wind at my back for a little ways!)  I stopped to grab a quick drink and saw a couple sitting on the bench at the trail’s entrance with their bikes off to the side.  It was obvious that they had battled the breeze too, and were taking a break.  So I sat and talked to them for a bit.  The man, Stew, and his wife, Joan, told me that they had recently joined one of the bike clubs in the area for fun and were just out enjoying the day.  I was really impressed when I looked at Stew’s bike because it was pretty clear that he was riding a classic.  He told me that it was a 1974 Nishiki that he had picked up many years ago and has done two RAGBRAIs on it along with many other one day rides.  The frame was solid steel and the bars only had black tape wound around them instead of bar tape that provides at least some form of cushion and “bump dampener.”  Joan had a nice new Schwinn hybrid that she had only used a couple times prior to today and said that she’s really enjoying going for rides on it.  Both of them wanted to know more about my bike (I mean, it is a nice bike after all) and I let Stew pick my aluminum ride up when he asked about how much lighter it is than his bike.  He picked it up with one hand and said, “WOW!  Slight difference…”  The two also wanted to know how I liked my Garmin and were interested when I showed them some of the information it gives you while you ride.  I was still oogling over the Nishiki though….newer bikes are sweet, but a classic like that is truly a work of art. 

Soon it was time to get back to the ride and Stew and Joan went on their way.  I stayed behind long enough to take a picture of me with the park’s version of “bike art” though.  Every time I ride to this park I always look at this tall heap of random bike parts and junk frames and think, “who the hell thought that this would look good here?”  Now, I have a DEEP love for bicycles, but even I think this monstrosity is ugly.  Still, it makes me laugh, therefore I enjoy it, and I would probably be sad if I rode to the park and saw it wasn’t there anymore.  

Me and the "bike art"



After taking in the “sights” I clipped back in, caught up to Stew and Joan one last time and then kicked hard as I rounded the corner and ate wind for the remainder of the ride.  I stayed in a low gear to keep the legs pumping, but that didn’t matter; by the time I got done I was beat!  Thank goodness I had a banana in the Jeep and extra Gatorade!  I drove home feeling both tired from the wind and happy that I had made a couple of new friends who know what it means to be loving the bike!