Ah, That Autumn Morning Light

Steve A of DFW Point-to-Point posted something recently about how the time change brought some welcome sunlight to his morning ride. It made me think about how much I have been enjoying my morning commute rides lately. They have been nicer partly because I've been leaving home a little earlier which leaves me enough time to take lots of path instead of street. It's tough to enjoy the light when riding on the street, but does Autumn morning light combined with a coating of frost, some mist and a river ever make for a sweet, soul-feeding ride. It's like... heaven!

Woah, did you see that? I went into the light for a bit there! I think the graffiti on that cement thing was some sort of ancient spiritual gateway stuff! I sure am glad that I am blessed with so many good reasons to want to stay here with my family and all you fine people, because I think that is what pulled me back to this plane of existence. Be careful this time of year... that Autumn Morning Light might just suck you in, leaving you completely blissed out forever, but your loved ones sorrowful and mystified.

Seriously though, who gets to commute like this other than cyclists? Nobody, that's who. I wish I could convey properly to others what they are missing. At least many of you cycling freaks get where I'm coming from. I think.

Keep Your Wheels on the Ground,

R A N T W I C K

Wind

I am feeling very conflicted about wind. I used to windsurf quite a lot, and in those days I loved every and any kind of wind, because I knew I could use it one way or another. These days, however, I find myself both blessing and cursing the wind as it helps me or hurts me while riding my bike. Here in London Ontario (where windsurfing won't be happening, by the way) the prevailing winds are West or Northwest, it seems to me, with some nice variations in Spring and Fall. As such, as I ride eastward to work in the morning I most often enjoy a tailwind, and on my way home I can usually count on lower speeds and more work as I battle a headwind. Wind is the primary reason that I have drop bars on my bike... I spend most of my time with my hands on the brake hoods, but it is good to be able to really hunker down when riding into the wind.

In thinking about wind I have come up with a hypothetical that I would like to conduct a poll on. Here it is:

In Cycling Heaven, The Wind is...

After creating the first poll, I realized that there was a "that depends" element needing to be addressed. So, keeping in mind your first answer...

In Cycling Heaven, the Wind is...

I am hoping that the results will be nicely varied, just as people are. If you answered c) and e), respectively, please get treatment. You are a certifiable masochist, in my professional opinion as a velopseudopsychiologist. Please come in to my office, and we will use the over-worked vent holes near the front of your bicycle helmet to access your skull, drill some nice holes and let those demons out, just like I have to do twice a year for my most regular patient...

I'm winded. See you next time...

R A N T W I C K

P.S. I now realize the second poll is flawed, since the first offers "dead calm". Those of you who answered a) on the first poll are kind of stuck on the second; sorry about that.