The trouble with wind is that it\’s hard to ride against it.

Yes, a good breeze makes Old Glory look proud. But it\’s not so much fun for the cyclist who must battle it for miles. As every cyclist knows, the trouble with wind, is that fighting it is hard work.

Struggling agains the breeze sends my heart rate up; and makes me feel short of breath. My legs reach the point where they feel quivery and weak from rapid, low-gear spinning — especially as I\’m rather prone to lower-cadence, big-ring pedaling. A headwind slows me down, which is especially frustrating if I have to make a cut-off time.

During a long ride, you can add to those woes the fact that all that hard work makes you feel like not eating. Remember what happens to your body\’s blood when your legs, heart, and lungs are working so hard? They have first dibs on that blood; and that leaves a lot less blood for digestion. Food becomes unappealing.

Yet if you still have miles to go, it\’s necessary to keep eating. If you suddenly feel totally exhausted, you haven\’t eaten enough; and you\’ve bonked!

Then you have to slow down drastically, or even stop for a while; and have something to eat. But not too much, or you risk adding indigestion to your troubles. Have a few bites of some kind of energy bar; or a gel; and some water. Then it\’s back to bucking that wind!