2 posts tagged “pollen”

I am the recent owner of a single speed hardtail mountain bike.  While those non-cyclists may not understand the allure of riding with only ONE gear, I really like the simplicity, weight (light) and fact that I cannot dog it, as there's no granny gear to run to.

However, if one (read: me) is not feeling all that fresh due to a crappy night's sleep, an excess of pollen in the lungs and a 6 am riding start time, the single speed is not as fun as it usually is.  I did my regular route (the only marginally hilly trail I feel comfortable on at this point) and it took a lot more effort to keep the pedals moving.   Put simply, it was an ugly thing to watch, and I returned home exhausted and with lots more greenish yellow pollen in my mouth, nose and lungs.

I'm hoping that more sleep and some rain helps me do my new bike justice later this week.

The tree pollen has landed.  Literally.  Within the past few days, every pine tree in the region appears to be dropping its pollen simultaneously, leaving cars, driveways and sleeping dogs covered in a pale green film.  If a breeze kicks up it means green clouds in the street, which is fun to watch if you're in the confines of a car or house with closed window.  Less so if you're riding your bike through it.

On top of this pollen, a heat wave of sorts has hit South Lake Tahoe, with temps well into the 80s.  With few homes in the area with air conditioning, this means that keeping the windows closed to keep the pollen out is simply not an option.   Pollen vs. heat - it's really a case of the lesser of two evils.  So I keep the windows open and accept that I'm miserable and can't breathe.

Yesterday I tried to beat the ridiculous heat and left the house early to ride uphill. While I felt pretty feeble and slow on the climb, I did have the satisfaction of passing 2 guys (one my age) on the ride down.  Admittedly they appeared to be more of the roadie types (local road cycling club spandex tops, obvious discomfort on the sandy bits), but still - I passed them and made them eat my dust!!

I may suck horribly riding uphill, but my downhill skills have to be improving. Think of the possibilities once the pollen goes away!