Resting
Today was the first day I awoke with any muscle pain in the thighs. I was already planning not to bike today, so that works out. Tomorrow I only have to go to the library, so that’ll be a light day too.
On Friday, the weather was gorgeous. Bright sun, little wind, and it reached 80° in the afternoon. Bikes were EVerywhere.
Along the way to Presbytery, I thought I’d drop by my sponsor’s place to see if he was back from Florida. And to show off my new wheels. He lives on Cobbs Hill so it might be good rest stop too.
With one variation, I think that route will be best for going to Presbytery twice a week. Norris Dr through Cobbs Hill Park skirts the hill on the north side, with the hill and the reservoir looming up on the right (south) side. From there, Hillside Ave is pretty level too. Neither is heavily trafficked. Hillside intersects Winton Rd just below the crest of the hill, which will make traversing the hill much less intensive.
However, I turned, uphill, to my sponsor’s house. He wasn’t home. I dithered a bit on whether to continue uphill or bail out on one of the side streets before choosing the hill.
I dropped down through all the gears eventually reaching the lowest, which is a lot of pedaling for not much forward movement. Even so, I considered hopping off and walking to the crest, which by then was only a hundred feet or so away. I stuck it out.
The downhill side is just as steep and again, the only thing that keeps it from being a “Wheeee!” is that it ends abruptly in a T at Highland Ave. Highland has a bike lane, and so does Winton, so at least my ass got a break for a while. More importantly, I don’t worry as much about getting hit, and can actually enjoy the ride.
Still, I had to laugh at myself when I stopped at Rite-Aid for my usual Friday purchase. I parked my bike in the vestibule (there’s no rack) and stood at the counter, in my helmet. I slapped a damp 20 on the counter and asked Jack for “Two boxes (pant , pant) of Marlboro (pant , pant) 27s please. (pant , pant)”
The church ladies were suitably impressed with my new ride. They swarmed out of the office making the appropriate Oooo and Ahhh noises while I locked it to the handrail.
Although it was sunnay and reached the lower 80s in the afternoon, I didn’t arrive anywhere all sweaty. That’s a good sign. However, it started raining just minutes before the library closed, so I had my first ride in the rain.
I thought I’d try coming home on Atlantic Ave. It’s the most direct route, but it’s also in the middle of two years of reconstruction. I thought the road was bad in a car. It’s nothing compared to being on a bike. And the sidewalk is worse. I won’t make that mistake again, tempting as it is.
The rain had stopped and the ground was dry on Saturday morning, so I rode to the bank and to the restaruant for breakfast. I left at the same time I leave for the bus and got to the restaurant as the bus was passing. That’s after lokcing up at the bank and screwing around inside, and on Saturdays the bus cuts out a section of the route too.
Anyway, I know now I can leave 10 to 15 minutes later on Saturdays and still have time for a second cup after breakfast. This really threw the waitress, Fay, because I’m usually clock-watching.
The ride home was into a 25mph headwind. I really struggled against that, considering over half the ride is also uphill. I briefly questioned going with the stright, mountain bike type of handlebars over the road bike style drop bars (which we used to call ram’s horns when we were kids) since I’d present less chest to the wind. But I think the more upright position is better for scanning for trouble in traffic.
It’s a really nice day today, and they’re calling for rain and snow through the week. I’d really like to go for a ride, but I think my legs could use the rest. So I think I’ll take a nap.
