Leaning into the wind

We're supposed to head into a wind advisory tomorrow afternoon, up to 65mph gusts in the late afternoon from the south. 

We dealt with wind on our first ride, but that was 3 years ago for me. I haven't ridden a bicycle with wind as a major factor in some time. 

Heading into our lake camping spot, we knew our tailwind would turn into 3 miles of side-facing wind. To resist being blown around, I had to lean into the wind with my right shoulder. Pushing against this invisible force to maintain an upright position. Holding onto hope that the gust wouldn't dissapate and down I'd go. Hoping I'd be strong enough to lean the bicycle over and not be blown into the traffic lane. 

Three miles. That was it. This was doable because I had an end in sight. We'd make a left turn, and the wind would be on our backs. Three miles, and speeds would increase back to the 14mph we'd been doing. Three miles, and my odometer was showing every tenth accomplished. 

Leaning into the wind is a scary feeling when you haven't practiced it much, but having these other bits and pieces of the big picture made it better. The wind doesn't last forever. It can actually be quite predictable. It can be strong, but I can be smart about it. I can control my machine. If I couldn't, there would be other things to do to reach our destination. 

Tomorrow is another wind day. Using a bicycle as a method of transportation to travel great distances is all about these challenges. It's different than passing on the Saturday ride because of possible rain. It is calculated risks; we won't unnecesarily persist in the face of dangerous conditions, but we'll wake up earlier than we'd like, get out before the afternoon winds pick up, and lean into it.