This morning I made the somewhat impulsive decision to take part in the Red Ribbon Ride, a great event that raises money for the AIDS Project of the Ozarks. As it turns out, it takes (me) a really really long time to ride 30 miles, so I had some time to think. A few words of wisdom from my ride:
1. Dogs like to chase bikes.
2. Butterflies also like to chase bikes.
3. Bugs are like oysters. If you swallow them without chewing they don't taste so bad.
4. Bugs also hurt when they hit your helmet at a high rate of speed. I've never been hit with an oyster shell, but I'm guessing the physics still apply here.
5. It's fun to fly down a hill, but it's not fun to almost take a header down a hill.
6. The folks at CVS make a fine sunscreen.
7. Wind can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.
8. Springfield and Rogersville have a lot of hills. Whoever says otherwise is a liar, and I despise liars.
9. Somehow when you are at your worst people tend to treat you like you are at your best. I could not have asked for any nicer folks to ride with today. No matter how pathetic my performance, these people were kind, funny, and unbelievably supportive.
10. The amount of pressure in your bike tires really does matter.
11. Seeing so many cute couples riding tandem bikes was inspiring. It also caused me to repeat the song "Daisy, Daisy" and the line about looking sweet on a bicycle built for two in my head a lot.
12. People who ride recumbant bikes are awesome. I didn't ride one, but to be honest I'm feeling kind of awesome too.
13. For some reason people kept assuming that I was doing the 50 mile ride. That's a nice ego boost when someone thinks you look like someone who can knock out 50 miles on a bike.
14. A guy who whipped past me on his bike was talking to a buddy. "Yeah, last week I did a 9 hour adventure race, and yesterday I went on a 40 mile ride." Tomorrow once I've recovered I will think you are a superstar, but today I think you're kind of a tool.
It will take me a few days to get the feeling back in my legs and look at my lovely bike without wanting to throw it off a cliff, but for my first 30 mile ride I'm feeling not too shabby.
1. Dogs like to chase bikes.
2. Butterflies also like to chase bikes.
3. Bugs are like oysters. If you swallow them without chewing they don't taste so bad.
4. Bugs also hurt when they hit your helmet at a high rate of speed. I've never been hit with an oyster shell, but I'm guessing the physics still apply here.
5. It's fun to fly down a hill, but it's not fun to almost take a header down a hill.
6. The folks at CVS make a fine sunscreen.
7. Wind can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.
8. Springfield and Rogersville have a lot of hills. Whoever says otherwise is a liar, and I despise liars.
9. Somehow when you are at your worst people tend to treat you like you are at your best. I could not have asked for any nicer folks to ride with today. No matter how pathetic my performance, these people were kind, funny, and unbelievably supportive.
10. The amount of pressure in your bike tires really does matter.
11. Seeing so many cute couples riding tandem bikes was inspiring. It also caused me to repeat the song "Daisy, Daisy" and the line about looking sweet on a bicycle built for two in my head a lot.
12. People who ride recumbant bikes are awesome. I didn't ride one, but to be honest I'm feeling kind of awesome too.
13. For some reason people kept assuming that I was doing the 50 mile ride. That's a nice ego boost when someone thinks you look like someone who can knock out 50 miles on a bike.
14. A guy who whipped past me on his bike was talking to a buddy. "Yeah, last week I did a 9 hour adventure race, and yesterday I went on a 40 mile ride." Tomorrow once I've recovered I will think you are a superstar, but today I think you're kind of a tool.
It will take me a few days to get the feeling back in my legs and look at my lovely bike without wanting to throw it off a cliff, but for my first 30 mile ride I'm feeling not too shabby.
Comments
Post a Comment