Sensing the ride

There's nothing like the sound of the tires whirring on the pavement as I crank along my favorite road. If that and nature are the only things I hear so much the better. I love the feel of the breeze pushing around the hair at the back of my neck. This was especially true when helmets were not used in common cycling.

Occasionally I'll smell  the ocean when I'm riding at the beach. In the neighborhood it's good to be able to smell natural gas leaking in a neighborhood. I also like to be able to hear if someone is in need of help. In a motor vehicle you often cannot hear someones cry for help. I wish they could on those occasions where I'm chased by a dog.

Most fall mornings I get a certain exhilaration when I brace against the cold air on my skin. When I was a tiny 135 pound teenager it would chill me to the bone. Now that I have some extra girth (175) I can bear and even enjoy the more extreme cold. I would much rather be cold that too hot. Taste when riding is limited to salt dripping down my face after a tough or warm ride. Of course the sting of that salty perspiration affects the eyes as well.

The feeling and the challenge to my muscles of going up a hill has it's pluses and minuses. I'll occasionally avoid hills if I know the route well.