It was getting late for a bike ride. After 1 PM and I wanted to do the 30 mile loop. But I really didn’t feel like it. Standing in my garage, dressed for a ride, staring at three bikes. I felt like one of those couples on the HGTV show House Hunters. I eliminated the touring bike by hanging it up for the winter. That left the road bike and the commuter. I finally grabbed the Felt road bike, put on the roadie shoes and off I went.
I met a regular young walker on the MUP stopped to say hello for a few seconds and began to ride away. He began to walk faster then jog to keep pace.
“Are you trying to keep up with me” I asked.
“As long as I can” was his response.
“Good luck with that” I quipped as I quickly accelerated to 19 MPH on this flat stretch of blacktop.
During the first part of the ride I couldn’t shake the desire to take one of the many bail out option on this route. Eventually I slipped into the riding zone and before I knew it passed the point of no return. Meaning there were no more side roads to shorten the route.
Because of the late start, I rode past one of the local high schools at dismissal time. I was also riding west into the low sun. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there were lines of high school drivers texting while also being blinded by the low sun behind me. I found a place to get off the narrow country road to let the traffic settle down.
The car traffic ended and the yellow buses began to make their way toward me from the school. I began riding thinking the school bus drivers would be a safe bet as they passed giving me plenty of room. Think again big guy. The buses were traveling faster than the kids in cars and the 50 something male drivers had fire in their eyes as they passed. A couple very close I might add. I again pulled off to the side to let the remaining buses go by.
From then on it was clear sailing to the country store. It’s a stop I always make if for no other reason, because it’s there. A woman inside asked if I was running when she saw my get up. “Riding a bike” I said. “Oh, that’s even colder”. It was chilly, which is different from cold. 45 degrees chilly. I mentioned I only had 8 or 9 miles to go and then she asked how many I had done. When I said around 20 her eyes bugged out. I used to think 30 miles was a massive amount to ride a bike in one day. Now, it’s a decent ride.
Near the end of the ride, I noticed a rider approaching. As the rider got close I realized it was one of our group riders, whom I hadn’t seen in a while. As we crossed paths I stopped and yelled “JUNE, howahyah”. I got a soft hi John back as she rode toward the setting sun. I think June hates me.
Just a couple of things to end this post. The road that had collapsed because of the water passing under through the pipe way that was built of brick and stone sometime in the 40’s, is almost complete. It looks like all that’s left is the blacktop.
Lastly. If your ankle strap that keeps your pants from getting caught in you chain come off on a country road some day and you turn back to retrieve it. Keep one thing in mind. When you unclip you right shoe, make sure you lean to the right when the bike stops rolling. Don’t lean left. OK. Now turn up the volume and put on your dancing shoes.
A Midnight Rider 
Susan and I passed you yesterday (in the car NO BANK OWNS) as you were going over the I-195 bridge heading into the first leg of your ride. Is that John? Who else has yellow striped tires?
As for the “broken road”, that has put a real cramp in my biking this fall. Got yelled at by one of the construction workers when I tried to walk through. But last week, when the box culvert was finished, you could carry the bike through after they quit work around 3:30.
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Love it when “The Zone” sneaks up on us. It’s a beautiful transformation.
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