Me Again

Well.

At least I'm prolific today if not entertaining.

I just had to tell you about my awesome bike ride today. And you know, Scouter gets kind of tired of hearing me ramble. Truth be told, I think he only pretends to listen to most of what I say. And I have been known to use that to my advantage on occasion - "Of course I told you that..."

Anyway, I took my newly fitted bike out for a little spin today and it felt great! I planned to go before work but postponed until afternoon once I saw the misty foggy morning. By the time I took off from my house, the day was beautiful - actually even a bit hotter than I anticipated. Fortunately, I had a new flavor of Accelerade called Grapefruit Citrus that was very tangy and tasty.

As I zipped down my street, one of my neighbors passed me in her car as we approached a traffic light. We both stopped, and she rolled down her window. "Will thinks your super fast on your bike!" she called. Sweet! Her son is only eight but hey, I'll take all the praise I can get.

My route is newly paved and very nice. I soon approached the next intersection, near a former co-workers house. She does not like me AT.ALL. so that was incentive to pick up the pace a bit. I wouldn't want to end up as her hood ornament - and I can picture her gunning for me.

I hit a fun downhill stretch that made me feel like I was flying, then turned again to tackle some hills. As I stopped at yet another traffic light (and I caught every single one of them red today), an older man pulled up beside me and rolled down his window. "Looking good!" he called. "How far are you riding?"

"A short ride. Maybe 12 miles," I replied.

"How far have you been? About six?" he inquired.

"Yep - 5 1/2."

"Where ya headed?" he asked next.

"Home."

"Yeah, where's home?" he said rhetorically as he snickered into his hand.

That got a big laugh out of me. It's been a loooong time since anyone hit on me, even jokingly. The light turned green, and we both took off. Our separate ways, in case you're wondering.

The hills didn't seem too bad today since I hit them with fewer miles on my legs. I kept reminding myself of the riding tips Jim Miller gave me Monday night - heels down, pelvis tucked, elbows under shoulders, and the hardest one for me, chin down. Fortunately I've gotten a lot more comfortable on the bike over the last year so all the clipping in and out and traffic didn't bother me.

After the hills, I had a short stretch of false flat. The road was two lanes each way, and in the right lane ahead of me, I saw a kid riding a skateboard and hogging the lane. "On your left!" I called. His head whipped around and he gave me an empty but somehow still condescending look. I whizzed by him and only smiled.

Soon after, I passed another puberty-stricken youth on a bike who gave me the same dumb look. Must be the rage for adolescent boys these days.

I reached my house at only the eight mile point so I added a loop to make an even 10. My average speed was 18.3 mph, which is smoking fast for me especially with all the lights. The bike felt great and I am very comfortable with the adjustments.

Game on, Big Nut!