Ride 31 - It's Windy!

On the Badger Trail. 10/18/26 dwm

 The third Sunday of October was a good day to ride. It was cool, in the low 60s, and sunny. 

 

 I wore a long-sleeve bike jersey for the first-time since March and it was just the ticket for the third to last ride of the year.

 

 Coming into this one I was 192 miles from my goal of 2,000 for the year. The route I chose includes a six-mile asphalt path that intersects the Military Ridge and Capital City trails. 

 

 That route becomes the Badger Trail which stretches from Madison to the Illinois state line south of Monroe. 

 

A strong breeze brought out wind surfers. 10/18/26 dwm

It was nice to get 12 miles on the computer early, just six miles into the ride; from there I was chasing the 42-mile mark because by subtracting a dozen miles from the route, the rest of it was 30 miles out and 30 back.

 

The wind was brisk but it didn't bother me as much as I expected, the wind seemed to be coming out of the south and west. 

I appreciate the wind at my back. Going with the wind eliminates the wind's sound and, of course, the wind's push makes me feel strong as I cruise with little effort at 22 miles per hour.

The shape of my recumbent allows the wind to go up and over me more than cyclists on up-right bicycles where their bodies act like umbrellas catching the breeze.

The weather this late in the season is tremendous, if the wind stays out of my way, it will be even better. 

A combine harvests corn near Stoughton. 10/18/26 dwm

 Tale of the Bike Computer:                                                 

 Distance: 72 miles, 120 miles left

 Ave. Speed: 15.8 mph

 Time in the Saddle: 4 hours, 33 minutes