Morning Ride- First Hint of Green in Our Hills – BionicOldGuy

Since rain is confined to one season, usually late fall through spring, in our area, it gets really dry in the summer. This has been made worse in recent years because of our drought. So I always look forward to having the hillsides turn green after the first rains of the year. I was happy to see that on my ride today, after the significant rainfall we got a week ago (with more hopefully soon on the way).

Last Tuesday I went on a group ride with a long stretch against a headwind. I enjoyed giving some of the riders who were struggling with the wind the benefit of a draft behind me on my e-bike. The problem was that I was hunched over the handlebars for a long time while riding in front. Usually, I avoid this by frequent standing breaks which makes me more upright, but that does not provide as good of a draft. So on yesterday’s solo ride I took the same bike and experimented. It turns out I have the option of sitting more upright with my handlebar setup. Normally that is not recommended as it is less aerodynamic (it is referred to as the “sit up and beg” position by riders who consider themselves “serious”). But that is not an issue on an e-bike, you can just overcome the increased wind resistance by bumping up the assist level. I tried that out today, taking upright seated breaks occasionally, and no backache. Problem solved!