Blown Away

In the early morning hours a little cool front breezed through and left in its wake some truly awesome winds. As I rode out to the levee this morning I wondered if I'd be the only one to show, yet we ended up with six or seven people nonetheless. I think perhaps Rob and maybe Chad were the only ones seriously contemplating doing the full long ride today, and they did the lion's share of the pulling as we headed up the river. The north wind was coming at us mostly from the right on the way out and it was so gusty that riding a straight line was a bit of a challenge. Every once in a while a gust would slam into your front wheel and take you and your bike somewhere you weren't planning on going. Our group split unintentionally on the way out. Rob took his pull, and then I followed, and when I pulled off the only one left was Mignon. Chad must have dropped back to work with the guys who got stuck on the other side of the gap. We eased up and eventually regrouped, turning around early at the parish line. The pace was a little slower on the way back, although at one point a gust of wind blew me right up to the edge of the asphalt. I nearly had to bail out down the levee.

The commute in to work seemed even harder than the morning ride today. With the wind right in my face, a full messenger bag, and my Weejuns pressed hard into the half toe clips of my commuter, it took some real determination to slog my way up over the Broad St. overpass.

So it looks like UPS is declaring our LAMBRA jerseys officially lost and will be reimbursing the Florida company who made them for us. That will have been a $1,700 mistake for them. I think we can get a replacement batch done by the end of December, but it's too bad they won't be there in time for the annual business meeting on the 25th.