The riding season is ramping up even as the running racing season peaks with the upcoming Louisville and Indy minis. The winter hasn't been nearly as pleasant as last year, and it's been awfully hard to get in steady training on the bike - other than to spin, which is not as much fun. For this reason, when the opportunity presents itself to ride outside, we take it.
My chief cohort in cycling has been Allen, though a close 2nd and 3rd would have to be Dan and Galloway. John T. has tossed in a couple as well. Oh, and Roy! Yup, I guess there have been a few of us regulars that are trying to get a jump on the season.
Over the last few weeks we've been able to make something happen on the weekends. Saturday and Sunday afternoons have featured rides between 30-55 miles. These aren't big rides by common standards, but considering the weather we've had, it's good. Often temperatures have been in the lower to mid-50's, which though not impossible can be uncomfortable if the conditions aren't right. Windy, cloudy, and damp makes this temperature range hard to take.
That's where Allen has been so great. He's the first to call when the conditions are marginal. There have been times when I wavered between spinning and riding, and his call made the difference. It's nice to have reliable training partners.
Just this past Monday four of us went out - Allen, Galloway, Dan, and I. We started from Lighthouse and headed to Huck's, where Galloway and Allen turned back. Dan and I wanted more miles, so we continued to the county line.
The way out was mostly uneventful - it was a beautiful day, warm and sunny with virtually no wind. In other words, a perfect riding day. Except for the bugs. Galloway learned this the hard way, when, on the way back from Huck's, a bee struck and stung his lower lip. After an hour or so his "Elephant Man" Halloween mask was ready to go.
The other event that transpired came in two parts - one before the split, one after. The first part featured not one but two riders going off-road. Galloway did it first, on the "Amish Super-2" as he likes to call it. I'd like to give you a cause, but there really was none. It's as if he got tired of being on the road and just left. He pulled it back on though, no harm done. Allen, ever the Galloway wannabe, soon followed, again for no reason, and pulled it back on the road. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say.
After the split, it happened again - Allen again left the road on the Amish Super-2, this time taking the stunt to new heights of daring-do. Rather than reporting, let's hear it from participants in the act.
IronBill(IB): So, Allen decided to take the show OFF the road on the way back, eh?
Allen's Calves(AC): I know, right?! We were like, just cruising along, like, talking and stuff, and he like goes all spazoid.
IB: Spazoid?
AC: (rolls eyes) You know, like freakin' out. Omigosh, and did you hear that scream?
IB: Don't tell me!
AC: Sissyest. Scream. Ever.
IB: That's a pretty high bar. Were you there in the infamous "Corn Incident" last fall?
AC: Are you kidding? We were all like, "stop flailing us around in all directions", and like, "put us back on the pedals" and stuff. We were flopping around on top of that bike like a bronco buster. All the time he's screaming like a girl scout in a haunted house.
IB: This was worse than the Corn Incident?
AC: Absolutely. For one thing, he was like headed for these like huge rocks. Then we were all like in the air, and time like, slowed down. That's when we saw it.
IB: It?
AC: Ya. We looked up then, and we like saw why we were off the road.
IB: Why?
AC: He was staring at us. Again. That same like, creeper stare. Like that creepy guy in math class that keeps looking at you and smiling that creepy, weird smile, but like never talks to you.
IB: Let me get this straight - you're saying you went off the road because Allen turned his head around to stare at you guys?
AC: Duh! That's what we're saying! (sighs, rolls eyes) Look, we know we look all, like, fabulous and stuff. We get it. But no need to get all creepy and stuff about it.
IB: Okay, okay... but what about a scream? Allen's scream is famous. Did you hear one?
AC: Yes and no. Yes, once he like realized we were going off-road, he started to let out a scream. But it stopped, only it didn't stop. We could see his Adam's apple bouncing up and down, so were all like, "That's REALLY weird", but no sound came out. It must have been really, really high, where maybe like, only dogs could hear?
IB: Or maybe Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston? Okay, seriously, so you guys walked away from it, I see.
AC: Yes, somehow we did. We're that good. We were all like, "Hah! We just saved your BUTT!", but you know what? That dumb butt didn't even thank us!
DE: Did someone say, "Butt"?!
My chief cohort in cycling has been Allen, though a close 2nd and 3rd would have to be Dan and Galloway. John T. has tossed in a couple as well. Oh, and Roy! Yup, I guess there have been a few of us regulars that are trying to get a jump on the season.
Over the last few weeks we've been able to make something happen on the weekends. Saturday and Sunday afternoons have featured rides between 30-55 miles. These aren't big rides by common standards, but considering the weather we've had, it's good. Often temperatures have been in the lower to mid-50's, which though not impossible can be uncomfortable if the conditions aren't right. Windy, cloudy, and damp makes this temperature range hard to take.
That's where Allen has been so great. He's the first to call when the conditions are marginal. There have been times when I wavered between spinning and riding, and his call made the difference. It's nice to have reliable training partners.
Just this past Monday four of us went out - Allen, Galloway, Dan, and I. We started from Lighthouse and headed to Huck's, where Galloway and Allen turned back. Dan and I wanted more miles, so we continued to the county line.
The way out was mostly uneventful - it was a beautiful day, warm and sunny with virtually no wind. In other words, a perfect riding day. Except for the bugs. Galloway learned this the hard way, when, on the way back from Huck's, a bee struck and stung his lower lip. After an hour or so his "Elephant Man" Halloween mask was ready to go.
The other event that transpired came in two parts - one before the split, one after. The first part featured not one but two riders going off-road. Galloway did it first, on the "Amish Super-2" as he likes to call it. I'd like to give you a cause, but there really was none. It's as if he got tired of being on the road and just left. He pulled it back on though, no harm done. Allen, ever the Galloway wannabe, soon followed, again for no reason, and pulled it back on the road. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say.
After the split, it happened again - Allen again left the road on the Amish Super-2, this time taking the stunt to new heights of daring-do. Rather than reporting, let's hear it from participants in the act.
IronBill(IB): So, Allen decided to take the show OFF the road on the way back, eh?
Allen's Calves(AC): I know, right?! We were like, just cruising along, like, talking and stuff, and he like goes all spazoid.
IB: Spazoid?
AC: (rolls eyes) You know, like freakin' out. Omigosh, and did you hear that scream?
IB: Don't tell me!
AC: Sissyest. Scream. Ever.
IB: That's a pretty high bar. Were you there in the infamous "Corn Incident" last fall?
AC: Are you kidding? We were all like, "stop flailing us around in all directions", and like, "put us back on the pedals" and stuff. We were flopping around on top of that bike like a bronco buster. All the time he's screaming like a girl scout in a haunted house.
IB: This was worse than the Corn Incident?
AC: Absolutely. For one thing, he was like headed for these like huge rocks. Then we were all like in the air, and time like, slowed down. That's when we saw it.
IB: It?
AC: Ya. We looked up then, and we like saw why we were off the road.
IB: Why?
AC: He was staring at us. Again. That same like, creeper stare. Like that creepy guy in math class that keeps looking at you and smiling that creepy, weird smile, but like never talks to you.
IB: Let me get this straight - you're saying you went off the road because Allen turned his head around to stare at you guys?
AC: Duh! That's what we're saying! (sighs, rolls eyes) Look, we know we look all, like, fabulous and stuff. We get it. But no need to get all creepy and stuff about it.
IB: Okay, okay... but what about a scream? Allen's scream is famous. Did you hear one?
AC: Yes and no. Yes, once he like realized we were going off-road, he started to let out a scream. But it stopped, only it didn't stop. We could see his Adam's apple bouncing up and down, so were all like, "That's REALLY weird", but no sound came out. It must have been really, really high, where maybe like, only dogs could hear?
IB: Or maybe Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston? Okay, seriously, so you guys walked away from it, I see.
AC: Yes, somehow we did. We're that good. We were all like, "Hah! We just saved your BUTT!", but you know what? That dumb butt didn't even thank us!
DE: Did someone say, "Butt"?!
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