NOV 7, 2008 – 12:00AM

I’ve ridden my bike to work in all kinds of weather – summer’s swelter, winter’s chill, rain, snow and just about everything in between.

Of all the elements, I have to say I like wind the least.

At least the strong kind.

I can always throw on another layer when it’s cold.

Seam-sealed jackets and fenders on the bike keep the wet away.

But there’s no defense to a really bad blow, like that which has been whistling around on all the organ stops the past couple of days.

I know this is Kansas. It blows all the time. But even by Kansas standards the past couple of days have just, well, blown.

Tuesday, as I made my way south to racquetball, I found myself standing up and grunting into a 20-plus mph headwind – downhill – and barely making any headway. I even considered hopping onto the sidewalk, since I was progressing at such a pedestrian pace.

The only upside: My ride home was a breeze.

Thursday was even worse.

I thought I’d be blown off my bike as I trudged along into a wind the Weather Channel said was gusting well into the 30 mph range.

The wind’s a vindictive witch.

I once read somewhere that a blow only benefits a cyclist when it’s in a small triangle extending 20 degrees to both sides of directly behind the bike. In other words, wind coming from 320 of the 360 degrees does no good.

Of course, a headwind’s the worst, but a bad crosswind can be just as tiring – and more dangerous. Nothing like the threat of an unexpected gust blowing you into traffic to keep you on your toes.

Even more exciting is getting used to leaning into a crosswind, only to have the gust blow itself out, causing the unsuspecting cyclist to veer into the void.

Whenever the wind kicks up and I find myself grinding along, I can’t help but remember the line of a fellow cyclist who cleverly declared that the wind doesn’t blow, it sucks.