Day 187: Riding with the Boys

I was running errands on my bike today, including going to the bank, and then getting a haircut. While at the downtown Bank of America ATM I was surprised to see “J.” He is one of the people that inspired me to do Riding to Recovery. It was a pleasant surprise, and it was even better for me to see that he’s doing really well. After one has been inundated with information about AA/AL-anon, it’s easy to see if a person is OK, or not. “J” is doing fine.

We talked for a while and exchanged some contact information. We’re hopefully going to do another ride together soon!

After picking up some cash at the ATM I headed back towards the local barber shop for a haircut. Along the way a half dozen of my friends from WTB passed on the other side of the street. They heckled me to join them. I kept going because I had a self-imposed “tight schedule.” When I arrived at the Barber shop there was a line out the door. Within two seconds I was back on my bike and chasing down my buddies that I’d past a couple minutes beforehand.

I really laid down some effort in order to try to catch up with them. With each corner that I’d round they wouldn’t be there. I kept on pushing hard to catch them. I finally reached the entrance to Railroad Grade where there’s a clear visual up the first 500 yards of trail, and yet there was still no one in sight. I used my big ring and fourth gear to push even harder. Finally, and as I reached the turn off to Tank Turns, I saw them climbing up the trail. I first whistled, and then yelled, “Slow the hell down!” I was the oldest guy there by at least 10 years…

I was happy to have caught up with them, and then to have a great ride on the mountain with these guys. I’m so appreciative to have my fitness back to a level at which I can keep up with most riders. I could have used some new tires today as my NanoRaptors are worn to the bone on my SuperHeavy, and the trails that we were riding were not even conducive to a brand new set NanoRaptors. ;-) I could have used a serious set of tires, and frankly, a totally different bike, but hey, I hung with youngsters today, and that was really great.

Thanks for the ride guys!

Distance: 13.21 miles
Calories burned: 1,313
Time: 1:25:18 hours
Elevation gain: 2,229 ft
Garmin Connect ride details:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/20916416