Wind

On my journey to work there’s a rather steep hill which appears just as I’m getting to my destination in a most annoying fashion, but the thing about hills is while they’re a bitch to go up they’re triffic on the way down. This particular one also has a slight bend it in and not much traffic so speeding down it in top gear with my peddling failing to gain traction is great fun with the added bonus of being able to take the subsequent not-so-steep hill without changing down. There’s something very rewarding about getting to the top of a slope and realising you’re still in maximum gear rather than having had to click down.

But today, as I began my descent, a strong gust of wind hit my body slowing me down. While it did mean I didn’t make the next hill in top gear it wasn’t the end of the world, but it did get me thinking, not for the first time, about that bane of the all-weather cyclist – the wind.

What is it with wind anyway?

Sure, I understand the basic principles involved – that warm air rises causing cold air to rush in and fill the gap, hence wind – but what gets me is how something strong enough to physically move massive objects can be invisible.

Of course, air has form, being made up of, primarily, Nitrogen and Oxygen atoms, and it’s these, when put under pressure, which are slowing me down. I get all that. I just can’t get my head around the fact that I can’t see it.

If you get hit by a thing with a significant amount of force you’d expect to be able to look at that thing, but one of the most powerful manifestations of energy around is completely, utterly invisible to the human eye.

It sure do weird me out.