Is the (US) midwest running out of air yet?

02-09-2007, 07:10 AM

I figure that after a week of 15+ mph westerly winds here in NYC,
there can't be too much air left in the midwest. Soon all the air will
fill up the space over the Atlantic Ocean and start coming back from
the east.

I truly hate biking into the wind. It's ok as a tailwind but my knee
and achilles tendon start hurting after biking into this wind. It
doesn't help that it's way below freezing.

Ok, winter has been fun. Bring on spring please. Pitchers and
Catchers, report to training camp.

02-09-2007, 09:53 AM

dgk wrote:
> I figure that after a week of 15+ mph westerly winds here in NYC,
> there can't be too much air left in the midwest. Soon all the air will
> fill up the space over the Atlantic Ocean and start coming back from
> the east.
>
> I truly hate biking into the wind. It's ok as a tailwind but my knee
> and achilles tendon start hurting after biking into this wind. It
> doesn't help that it's way below freezing.

I can sympathize, although the wind out of the midwest was coming south.
Nasty headwind heading up the last hill; not too bad, though, after the
road turned, and it was a tailwind. But then when freezing rain starts
hitting your eyelids, well, that stings!

At least I didn't have to scrape the windshield this morning (bicycle
commuting advantage #85).

Pat

02-09-2007, 10:16 AM

"dgk" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
>I figure that after a week of 15+ mph westerly winds here in NYC,
> there can't be too much air left in the midwest. Soon all the air will
> fill up the space over the Atlantic Ocean and start coming back from
> the east.
>
> I truly hate biking into the wind. It's ok as a tailwind but my knee
> and achilles tendon start hurting after biking into this wind. It
> doesn't help that it's way below freezing.
>
> Ok, winter has been fun. Bring on spring please. Pitchers and
> Catchers, report to training camp.

Hey, I live on the Florida Gulf Coast, so there's always a wind. It still
sucks, though.

02-09-2007, 10:51 AM

On Feb 9, 10:10 am, dgk <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> I figure that after a week of 15+ mph westerly winds here in NYC,
> there can't be too much air left in the midwest. Soon all the air will
> fill up the space over the Atlantic Ocean and start coming back from
> the east.
>
> I truly hate biking into the wind. It's ok as a tailwind but my knee
> and achilles tendon start hurting after biking into this wind. It
> doesn't help that it's way below freezing.
>
> Ok, winter has been fun. Bring on spring please. Pitchers and
> Catchers, report to training camp.

You should be grateful. All that cold wind has to be pushing some of
the politician's hot air out to sea.

Is it helping yet? We can send more.

Austin

02-09-2007, 11:02 AM

dgk wrote:
> I figure that after a week of 15+ mph westerly winds here in NYC,
> there can't be too much air left in the midwest. Soon all the air will
> fill up the space over the Atlantic Ocean and start coming back from
> the east.
>
> I truly hate biking into the wind. It's ok as a tailwind but my knee
> and achilles tendon start hurting after biking into this wind. It
> doesn't help that it's way below freezing.
>
> Ok, winter has been fun. Bring on spring please. Pitchers and
> Catchers, report to training camp.

Hah!
I saw on the news that you New Yorkers are due for another 2 feet of
snow on top of what you already have. It sounds like time to get out the
snowplow for the front of your bike.
Bill Baka

02-09-2007, 11:10 AM

On Fri, 9 Feb 2007 14:16:00 -0500, "Gooserider"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>
>"dgk" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
>news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].. .
>>I figure that after a week of 15+ mph westerly winds here in NYC,
>> there can't be too much air left in the midwest. Soon all the air will
>> fill up the space over the Atlantic Ocean and start coming back from
>> the east.
>>
>> I truly hate biking into the wind. It's ok as a tailwind but my knee
>> and achilles tendon start hurting after biking into this wind. It
>> doesn't help that it's way below freezing.
>>
>> Ok, winter has been fun. Bring on spring please. Pitchers and
>> Catchers, report to training camp.
>
>Hey, I live on the Florida Gulf Coast, so there's always a wind. It still
>sucks, though.
>

No, it blows.

02-09-2007, 11:23 AM

On Fri, 09 Feb 2007 20:02:54 GMT, Bill Baka <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>dgk wrote:
>> I figure that after a week of 15+ mph westerly winds here in NYC,
>> there can't be too much air left in the midwest. Soon all the air will
>> fill up the space over the Atlantic Ocean and start coming back from
>> the east.
>>
>> I truly hate biking into the wind. It's ok as a tailwind but my knee
>> and achilles tendon start hurting after biking into this wind. It
>> doesn't help that it's way below freezing.
>>
>> Ok, winter has been fun. Bring on spring please. Pitchers and
>> Catchers, report to training camp.
>
>Hah!
>I saw on the news that you New Yorkers are due for another 2 feet of
>snow on top of what you already have. It sounds like time to get out the
>snowplow for the front of your bike.
>Bill Baka

No man, that's upstate. Those folks got 100 inches I hear. Yikes!
Forget studded tires, you need round snowshoes for that crap.

We've had nothing in NYC all winter. Just barely a dusting the other
day. I did put on the studded front tire for some icy days, but I'm
going to take it off. It really adds to the rolling resistance and
with the wind and all I really don't want to deal with it. Plus, it's
like driving over one of those singing bridges.

02-09-2007, 11:44 AM

"dgk" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
>I figure that after a week of 15+ mph westerly winds here in NYC,
> there can't be too much air left in the midwest. Soon all the air will
> fill up the space over the Atlantic Ocean and start coming back from
> the east.
>
> I truly hate biking into the wind. It's ok as a tailwind but my knee
> and achilles tendon start hurting after biking into this wind. It
> doesn't help that it's way below freezing.
>
> Ok, winter has been fun. Bring on spring please. Pitchers and
> Catchers, report to training camp.

15+, that's just a gentle breeze.

02-10-2007, 02:04 AM

"dgk" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> On Fri, 9 Feb 2007 14:16:00 -0500, "Gooserider"
> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>>
>>"dgk" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
>>news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. ..
>>>I figure that after a week of 15+ mph westerly winds here in NYC,
>>> there can't be too much air left in the midwest. Soon all the air will
>>> fill up the space over the Atlantic Ocean and start coming back from
>>> the east.
>>>
>>> I truly hate biking into the wind. It's ok as a tailwind but my knee
>>> and achilles tendon start hurting after biking into this wind. It
>>> doesn't help that it's way below freezing.
>>>
>>> Ok, winter has been fun. Bring on spring please. Pitchers and
>>> Catchers, report to training camp.
>>
>>Hey, I live on the Florida Gulf Coast, so there's always a wind. It still
>>sucks, though.
>>
>
> No, it blows.

It was blowing a gale last week. I'm not far from where the killer tornadoes
were, and my commute home that Thursday was accompanied by 30mph gusts. Fun
as a tailwind, painful as a headwind, and scary as a crosswind. :-)

02-12-2007, 11:51 AM

On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 18:15:50 GMT, Stephen Harding
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>Tom Keats wrote:
>

>When I first started bike touring, I had to discipline my
>mind to stop pressuring me into riding faster than conditions
>warranted.
>
>That meant stop looking too far up the long climbs hoping for
>the road to level out around the corners (or paying too much
>attention to the automobiles rounding the corner and hearing
>their transmissions kick down a gear!).
>
>Along those lines was stop trying to maintain your "cruise"
>speed in the face of strong headwinds! You've got a day of
>pedaling. It ain't a training ride! Just get to where you're
>going whatever time it takes to get there.
>
>You've got all those gears! Use them! They're not solely
>for climbing steep grades ya know. And there is no minimum
>speed requirement or bonus points getting somewhere faster!
>
>Find a comfortable gear and grind along even at lower speed.
>You don't lose any points at all!
>
>

That is my plan. I generally just pedal along until I get where I'm
going. No matter how fast or how slow, it always takes between 1:10
and 1:30 to get to work, and usually it's between 1:15 and 1:25. Those
ten minutes don't mean anything.

That is, unless I step on the scale and freak out like I did this
morning. I pedaled harder than usual, and got to work in (goes off to
check the computer in the jacket pocket) 1:25. That's with the nasty
headwind and the stupid studded tire. I need to get back to slicks.