I Might Be Getting Soft
Saturday I spent the morning sitting on a couple promotion boards, wearing my dress uniform (that I break out once a year at most), and generally being uncomfortable. Once sprung from the responsibility of appearing somewhat professional, the first thing I wanted to do was dispel that perception by donning lycra.
I called Pete to see if he was interested in doing anything, and as it turned out he had just started riding. He mentioned being rained on, but I managed to ignore that comment. It's been primarily warm and sunny this summer, which is rare for southcentral Alaska. I convinced him to turn around and meet me at work so I could beat up on him and therefore improve my self image. Swell guy that he is, he readily agreed.
A few drops were falling here or there as we set off, with clouds and the promise of rain in all directions. We chose a route with a small amount of climbing and set off at a conversational pace. Here or there I would take a dig on short grades to drop him and prop up my fragile ego, then sit up and allow him to catch back up- because I'm a nice and sensitive guy. We alternated hard, rotating efforts with soft-pedaling. The spray off the other guy's rear wheel kept our drafting a little offset, unless you felt a little dehydrated, at which point an open mouth and a tolerance for road debris-infused water was all you needed.
We bailed on some of the usual climbs, using the excuse that the wet roads would make the descents a little sketchy. In reality, we just weren't interested in going up there in the first place. We were quite content to grunt it out in the rain on milder terrain.
On the way back, my shoes reached capacity and started to overflow. While I carried a rain jacket in a pocket, it never made my way to my back. I was pretty well drenched and starting to stiffen up. Most years this ride I would have considered this ride pleasant, but the warm temperatures and relative lack of rain have ruined me. By the time the ride was done, I was done.
When I lifted the bike onto the bike rack, water streamed out of the chain stays, so I guess I'll have to keep that in mind to avoid ruining the Storck's bottom bracket.
I'm getting soft in this global-warming world. We may see even less snow this winter, which means Mighty Mites may be an interesting exercise of finding snow, any snow on Alyeska suitable for keeping the general public and the racers from colliding.
At least I won't be cold and the road will be clear earlier in the spring for riding. You have to try to find the upside when powerless in the face of nature. Getting upset really doesn't fix anything and just wastes energy.
I called Pete to see if he was interested in doing anything, and as it turned out he had just started riding. He mentioned being rained on, but I managed to ignore that comment. It's been primarily warm and sunny this summer, which is rare for southcentral Alaska. I convinced him to turn around and meet me at work so I could beat up on him and therefore improve my self image. Swell guy that he is, he readily agreed.
A few drops were falling here or there as we set off, with clouds and the promise of rain in all directions. We chose a route with a small amount of climbing and set off at a conversational pace. Here or there I would take a dig on short grades to drop him and prop up my fragile ego, then sit up and allow him to catch back up- because I'm a nice and sensitive guy. We alternated hard, rotating efforts with soft-pedaling. The spray off the other guy's rear wheel kept our drafting a little offset, unless you felt a little dehydrated, at which point an open mouth and a tolerance for road debris-infused water was all you needed.
We bailed on some of the usual climbs, using the excuse that the wet roads would make the descents a little sketchy. In reality, we just weren't interested in going up there in the first place. We were quite content to grunt it out in the rain on milder terrain.
On the way back, my shoes reached capacity and started to overflow. While I carried a rain jacket in a pocket, it never made my way to my back. I was pretty well drenched and starting to stiffen up. Most years this ride I would have considered this ride pleasant, but the warm temperatures and relative lack of rain have ruined me. By the time the ride was done, I was done.
When I lifted the bike onto the bike rack, water streamed out of the chain stays, so I guess I'll have to keep that in mind to avoid ruining the Storck's bottom bracket.
I'm getting soft in this global-warming world. We may see even less snow this winter, which means Mighty Mites may be an interesting exercise of finding snow, any snow on Alyeska suitable for keeping the general public and the racers from colliding.
At least I won't be cold and the road will be clear earlier in the spring for riding. You have to try to find the upside when powerless in the face of nature. Getting upset really doesn't fix anything and just wastes energy.
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