Wind and Weight

Altamont Windmills

Was fortunate to have my riding buddy join me as we headed east on Altamont Pass Road to the Mountain House Bar (no drinking, just resting) last Tuesday for what turned out to be a 66 mile ride.  About 15 miles into the ride my rear tire went flat.  No biggie but while changing the inner tube my buddy kept saying, "Remember, you GET to do this".  Mocking me based on my previous post.

Typically, the Altamont Pass ride includes a tailwind out and a headwind back.  Wind flows constantly through this area, so much so, that many windmills, not Don Quixote windmills but green energy windmills, are installed like those pictured.  That's the California Aqueduct in the foreground.  This day's wind was almost the reverse and it wasn't too bad biking back and seemed like we caught a break.

North Livermore Road

My buddy took a nasty fall earlier in the ride, in fact he later learned he broke his collarbone, so 40 miles into the ride we parted ways approaching North Livermore Road.  His path was north toward home, mine south.  After a few miles of riding south I too turned north to make my way back home.   Whatever pleasure I gained from an easy day on Altamont Pass Road was blown away, literally, by an in-your-face wind the final 20 miles of the day's ride.

I'll share in a later post my thoughts on how wind on a bicycle ride in many ways parallels life's challenges.

Made it home, much more tired and sore than expected, but after burning 4,900 calories on the ride I was anticipating the results of my Wednesday weigh-in day just 18 hours away.

I guess I will take a wind-in-your-face ride any day if it helps produce results like 5 pounds lost since last week!!  Sometimes challenges we face produce unexpected positive results and this was certainly one of them.  That makes 75 pounds total and now 3/4 of the way to the ultimate goal.

Whoo hoo!!!!

Lone Cherry Tree on Altamont

Just thinking about the weight loss makes me want to include this picture taken on Altamont Pass Road because I feel like Spring. You know, like a re-birth.  Enjoy!