Headwind

Rode home tonight into a truly heinous Westerley wind. In all honesty, I'd rather ride up steep hills in still air than grind against the gusts. I don't know whether I just didn't eat enough this afternoon, or if I've overdone it a bit this week, but I am now completely knacked.

There's a bit of maths whose precise detail I forget. It's along the lines though that the air resistance acting on a cyclist grows as the square of the speed. E.g. to double your speed, you have to produce quadruple the power. To quadruple your speed, you'd need to conjure up 16 times the power from somewhere. This is why 12 year old kids can sustain 15mph, but only the incredible hulk can ride at 30 for prolonged spells.

Chuck in a fierce headwind and you bust a gut just to creep along.

I feel kind of hollowed-out behind the solar plexus. Still, beer in the fridge and a sit-down and all will be well. No pain no gain, eh.