A Soft Southerly Breeze

I switched off the alarm and raised my head off the pillow just enough to see the thermometer, then I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and checked it again. It read 60F. I swear, if a person had mood swings like New Orleans has temperature swings, he'd be put on medication for sure. So I was out the door a couple of minutes late wearing arm-warmers and shorts. Shorts!! Outside, there was a steady but soft southerly breeze blowing that warm Gulf of Mexico air across the city. Everything, including the outside walls of the house, was sweating - beads of water condensed on anything that was still cold. The air, though, felt soft and familiar on my face, and the wind didn't seem quite so harsh as it does when it comes from the north. I rode up to the group just as four or five other riders, silhouetted against the predawn sky, converged on it, creating a little light show of blinking red and white lights. We would have a substantial tailwind on the way out today, and I knew that together with the warm air that would make for a fast trip to Ormond.

I was right. Once the group got going the speed began to rise, gradually at first. A long paceline formed with everyone rotating through for a few miles, but still there were a few riders lifting the pace when they'd come to the front. Soon gaps started to develop, and when I'd drop back expecting seven or eight people to be there I'd find only four. The pressure continued and a few times I dropped back after a pull and was surprised how quickly I'd have to get back in. I missed my cue more than once, leaving a gap to be filled by the guy in front of me. Glancing down at the computer I'd usually see numbers like 25, 26, 27. To be honest, it felt pretty good, thanks to the tailwind, but I didn't want to eat all my cookies before the turnaround because I knew the return trip would seem a lot longer.

By the time we started back the group had gotten a bit smaller and between the headwind and the earlier effort there wasn't much pressure to push the pace. We rode much of the way back at a slow enough speed to talk, and then Kenny, who was out "cramming for Belize" flatted (his second for the day). A few miles later Gordo flatted as well. By then it was starting to get rather late and so half the group continued on while Kenny, Chad, Richard and I stayed behind. The rest of the ride back was perhaps a little slower than my head wanted but probably much closer to what my legs did. We never did see much of the sun today, and in fact the sky is still overcast. The next cold front is approaching, though, so the chance of rain will increase all day, and then around midnight the wind will shift back around to the North leaving us with temperatures in the 40s and a cold 20 mph wind by morning.