Good People

Decided to go for a little ride today out to the base partly to get some miles in and partly to check out the new “shop” out there that I hadnt seen since weeks before its opening. I took off around 2 or 3 not sure of the exact time but that’s not really important. I have no computer on my bike but sometimes that’s a good thing… like when you don’t want to have to tell anybody that you only averaged 16mph, which of course is no problem at all when you’re going by yourself. So I rode up the mountain, past the crossroads, and into the first entrance of the base, with a monster headwind. There was no way around it, it was directly in my face the entire time. I felt ok, but like I said, im not sure how fast I was really going.

Then I get to Trailhead Bikes… I can’t possibly sum this place up in a couple of words so I’ll sum that place up in another post. After 10 minutes or so there, I headed home still feeling pretty good and anxious to get my much deserved tail wind for a speedy ride home. So I’m cruising down the road and leave again through the first entrance when I see the one and only… DA. He yells something like “tailwind… must be nice” It was. And this next decision haunts me… I turn around to ride with him… adding atleast 10 more miles into the wind. We ride to 94 and then to 41. At this point with 20 miles left to Marquette I’m feeling pretty gassed but I push on, theres not much else you can do when you’re riding with someone else.

Anyways we are cruising down 41 and I’m feeling especially slow… even for me. So I look down and see that I’ve got a flat, with no stuff DA threw me his (he’s good people), but in a time crunch had to take off. Ok cool so now I could take my change my tube and take my time on the way back. While I was changing the tire a cop pulls up and asks me if I’ve got everything (again good people), telling me hes a fellow rider. As I change my flat he tells me how his wife, who doesn’t ride, won a bike but it’s a 40lb downhill bike and wants to know what to do with it, swap frames, maybe a shop will take it for money, sell it on ebay… not much criminal activity happening in marquette I guess these days.

I get on my way but am feeling really slow and pathetic. I look down, the tire is fine and realize its just me. The last 10 miles (mostly downhill) took me close to an hour. I bonked, nothing more to it, simply didn’t have the groceries to finish the ride. PATHETIC!! If a nice old lady on a beach cruiser was coming by she would have passed me. As soon as I get back I chug an ensure shake and head to hardees (in my car of course) for more food. You know how you get the drink first and then a the food? I was so in need of sugar I chugged my coke and got a refill before my food even got to me. Then I took a 3 hour nap. Ahh the things we do to ourselves.