...it was the worst of rides. The trip south to Stoddard the other day was at once exhilarating and terrifying and also one of those rare times when I was riding at Tour speeds and still looking for a higher gear. I'm pretty sure I've never ridden quite so well.
Yet every turn of the crank brought a twinge as I drew ever nearer to the point where I would have to turn around and fight against the wind that was now pushing me to such impressive speeds. And THAT was terrifying.
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Now, breaking news. I had other plans for this post about wind, but, as happens from time to time, real life stepped in. In mid-afternoon, we were treated to a variety of warnings. And this time, they really meant it. Severe weather ripped through our neighborhood between 3:00 and 4:00 pm. Power went out at about 3:15 during an unbelievable wind driven torrent of rain that lasted for maybe 5 minutes. After things settled down, we went out to a local restaurant for dinner, only to be met by cars backed up, fire and police vehicles on the move and clean up crews making their way through scores of downed trees and power lines. The nearby K-Mart lost part of its roof and a Pepsi facility was severely damaged. Two schools are being prepared for shelters. All of this within a few blocks of our house.
As reports came in, you could see a very clearly defined path cutting through a three mile section of the south side of La Crosse. There are, so far, no reports of serious injury. Our power is back on now (after about 5 hours) and all of our large trees are still upright. Others nearby were not so lucky.
Windy rides are quite a challenge, to be sure. But this latest display was, shall we say, beyond category.
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1 comment:
So much for the old legend!
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