The Pardon The Interruption Ride On 4/2

We welcomed two new riders to our group today, Dave Reesh and Tom Winger. It seemed odd going for a ride without Felix leading the group (he had to work). He missed a ride that was interruptioned by numerous delays due to two flat tires and a stop at the Higher Gear bike shop. And on the way back via Green Bay Road, it seemed like we caught red lights at every intersection from Winnetka to Wilmette.

The strong wind blowing from the northwest had a big impact on our speed. As shown by the blue data  below from Martin's power meter, heading into the wind on our way to Bluffington's, we struggled to get up to 20 mph. On the way back to Wilmette with the benefit of a tail wind. we were well above 22 mph much of the way with a few stretches above 25 mph. The yellow (power) and green (RPM) data points show that the difference in speed on the way back was mostly due to the wind, as about the same amount of power was expanded during both segments of the ride.