{"id":2752,"date":"2013-01-27T08:31:38","date_gmt":"2013-01-27T15:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kmwoley.com\/blog\/?p=2752"},"modified":"2013-01-27T08:37:09","modified_gmt":"2013-01-27T15:37:09","slug":"day-25-chip-seal-headwind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmwoley.com\/blog\/day-25-chip-seal-headwind\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 25: Chip seal & Headwind"},"content":{"rendered":"

Del Rio, TX to Camp Wood, TX
\n<\/strong>Date: 01\/26\/2013
\nDistance traveled: 81.44 miles (1507.78 miles total)
\nGPS tracks: http:\/\/connect.garmin.com\/activity\/266480083<\/a>
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“The rough surface causes noticeable increases in vibration and rolling resistance for bicyclists, and increased tire wear in all types of tires.”<\/em> \u2013 Chip seal, Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n

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\nNot a pretty day.
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I have found some sort of fun on the bike every day of this trip. This trip in the entirety has been fun. <\/em>Sometimes there’s one awesome downhill that makes it worthwhile, or the challenge of the hills ahead, the joy of cruising down wide open highway, acquiring what Andy calls ‘smug points’ of accomplishing something really challenging, and certainly the people I’ve met along the way. There is generally something<\/em> that makes me glad I got on the bike. Yesterday that something was really, really hard to find.<\/p>\n

The wind has whipped up out here on the open Texas road and the clouds have moved in. I’m riding on rough chip seal highway that just vibrates the living crap out of me and my trusty stead. The noise of the wind and the ratta-tat-tat rattling of the bike beneath me was just grating on my last nerve. The 10-20 mph headwind that I was against for the first 30 miles of the ride just sucked my energy and my soul. I was riding through a moist cloud for a good part of the morning which made everything damp. And I think my body is just tired and wore out from some consecutive hard days of riding.<\/p>\n