Tuesday September, 23 2008 - Day 9

Tuesday September, 23 2008 - Day 9

Joe and I leave the hotel early. It is dark out and the sky is still baring stars. We decide to go without lights and head into Salina. We look around for 140 West but have to ask some early risers for directions. Across the US we have continually been surprised by the number of people who don’t know where anything is located in their area as well as where they are themselves. This morning is no different. A middle aged man in a small car on 140 doesn’t know how to get to 140 (hope his cup of coffee kicked in later in the day. Later in the day I realize he may be suffering from wind disease). After we ask several more people, we discover his error and start cranking down the road.
We expect major headwinds from the forecast but nothing can prepare us for 15 mph winds with 30+ mph gusts. Add to the mix 18 wheeled vehicles traveling at 60 mph and I have myself the Perfect Storm in Kansas. The micro blasts from these trucks are also loaded with pebbles and other debris. We see several dead rattle snakes and crank hard to maintain 10 mph. Joe and I crack some jokes early and then realize the humor isn’t helping. These conditions make drafting dangerous and almost worthless. The wind changes direction and speed so frequently there is never a rhythm to enter a draft.
I am dealing with an invisible demon – the wind. I can hear it and feel it. Joe and I are literally pedaling on an angle. Our windward shoulders dipped to bear the brunt of the Southwestern wind. If someone was watching a muted video of us, nothing would appear unusual except the slowness of our speed compared to our effort and the fact that we are listing like sinking ships. It would appear we are struggling for some reason but not one quickly identifiable.
I think of the people I know who struggle with invisible demons daily. They appear overweight or angry but the outward appearance doesn’t expose the invisible issues they fight. Their outward conditions are only a result of the issue not the issue itself that is what makes it invisible. Food isn’t the problem. The issue is what drives a person to eat when their body doesn’t need food and drink without thirst. The person who is driving too slowly in front of them is not the problem. It is the trigger that allows the “asshole waiting to happen” to explode on the road. These are the invisible demons which anyone watching the muted video of their life would think, “these frames don’t make sense”. But the issues are as solid as the wind pounding Joe and I in the face.
The wind is tempting us to a challenge we are sure to lose if we choose to treat it as a foe. Invisible but not untouchable, not beyond reach or understanding. I have a long day ahead of me and I can fight this wind with gears, effort, persistence and I will still lose – wind never loses. I need to befriend, understand and find what soft spots these gusts will allow. I gear down to push less wind and lose some speed. I adjust my goal of the day from mileage and speed to understanding and learning. I start to lift my head up and look at the deer, cows and horses in the fields. Instead of staring down at my front tire or at Joe’s rear tire I peek at the clouds formations and farms. Nothing changes but now the wind is only one of the several perspectives in my experience.

The noise alone from the wind is distracting. Suddenly, the noise is broken by Joe’s front tire’s death hiss. The air exits quickly and he almost loses control of the bicycle. We pull to the side of the road. Chet and Bo come as Joe is changing his tube and we laugh with them about the wind. Well, they are laughing anyway.
Back on our bikes Joe and I talk about the Wizard of Oz and some other movies. We can barely hear each other and go back to pushing wind. Joe calls a friend of his and just holds the phone up into the wind – it is like saying everything.
Chet leaves driving the support truck to Bo and joins us on the road. It is good to have him along and we all try every way possible to move more efficiently but with minimal success.
When I spend enough time behind another rider I start to learn their patterns. I had to learn little indicators of when Joe or Chet would stand up to pedal. This is important because my front wheel is an inch behind their back wheel or like today I am up close on their leeward side seeking wind protection. When a rider stands up on the pedals their body moves forward forcing their bicycle backward for an excellent accident opportunity. In addition, when the rider is standing and pedaling their bicycle moves side to side.
You would think someone would only stand up and pedal when going uphill but in Kansas we stand up and pedal to get some seat relief. Joe likes to pedal half way into the hill and then stand up without shifting. He will also not stand up at all and just grind them out. This makes things a bit difficult to predict and keeps me guessing. He also kicks his left knee out at times but I don’t know what the hell that is about other than poor riding form. Chet is predictable and uses his gears to do most the work. He is constantly changing gears to maximize his mechanical advantage against the terrain or wind.
Bo. I rode near Bo for about 15 miles the other day while Joe was catching up to us. Bo is a runner. At first I rode next to Bo but he kept swerving into me. Each time I would brake quickly and brace myself to elbow him off if necessary. I thought I would get smart and just stay behind him but his speeds are even more unpredictable. He charges up hill and then coasts down, sometimes. Other times he would pedal half way into the hill and then just stop pedaling until his bicycle was about to fall over and then start again. Chet tried to teach him about gearing but without success.
I get behind the wheel 100 miles from Lamar Colorado and set the cruise control around 80. We are on the back roads of Kansas and I get about 20 minutes into it before a Kansas highway patrol officer traveling East in the oncoming traffic turns on his lights. I pull over. He turns around and gives me a nice little receipt for my driving experience in Kansas.
Joe rides 125 miles for the day in heavy winds. Tomorrow we head into the Rocky Mountains and I am excited for the scenery and downhills. We are running out of time given the number of miles between us and LA. Joe would like to pedal 200 a day until we get there but we continually remind him that his goal is the 508 mile race at the end, not the 3400 miles getting there. Sometimes he pretends to listen and understand this idea and a day or two will pass. Then, he will try to slip another scheme into the plans in order to make the trip to LA even more challenging. Tomorrow we rise at 5AM. Chet just rolled over again most likely looking to find a dream in his pillow.

Here is a link to the kids and cause we are riding for - http://www.lisas810.com/cause_AOR.html
With gratitude,
Chris