Morning Ride

The thing about Prince Edward Island is that it is extremely beautiful. But it is also as windy as it is pretty.
For a cyclist, that kind of wind can transform a pleasant ride into a full blown exorcism.
Therefore, before you hop on your bike, you usually plan. Checking all the weather websites and defining the best route. You think you’ll outsmart nature…

Comes this morning’s ride… Feeling confident and a bit cocky, you hit the road. You’re all good, you planned! You’d think….

Then boom! There it is! Wicked as ever! THE wind!
You should have known better! Every single time it’s the same! Headwind, crosswind, sea breeze, whirlwind. Coming from everywhere!

Just the thought of groveling into this gale for the next hour makes you regret not opting for the couch.
But what can you do?!? Walk? Hell no! You’ve got pride!

As you are grinding, huffing, puffing, cursing the Anemoi and hating the world, you hear Scorpions screaming in your headphones :

Here I am

Rock you like a hurricane

And it is at that precise moment, that you realize:

Wind is far stronger and has more endurance than you will ever have.
Now is the time to stop hating it and learn to embrace and accept it.
Even better, how about using the wind to become a better rider?
As trees need the wind to blow against them to grow taller and make their roots grow deeper, so do you. That wind will make you stronger and quicker…

Then, just like that , lost in thought, you get to the end of the road. You turn the corner and the wind is gone… From there on, it’s smooth sailing.

Now you are strong and you ride on.