The bike ride

This is a little late, but oh well.

I rode in a 25-mile bike race in Ashford a few weekends ago. It was part of a fundraiser for the town's park and rec department. There were about 200 cyclists registered, biking several different routes (100 miles, 65 miles, 25 miles and 10 miles).

I had never biked more than 12 miles, so this was a bit of a leap of faith for me. But it turned out well. I managed to pedal all 25 miles with a brief break at the Buell's Orchard. It was a beautiful morning, relatively cool, and the leaves were just starting to change. The route traveled through Ashford, Eastford and Woodstock. Lucky for me, I scoped out the route the day before by car with my mom. If I hadn't have done that, I probably would have gotten lost.
Apparently I was a bit of rebel riding my mountain bike. Most everyone else had fancy road bikes and fancier day-glo outfits. I was a little out of place, but hey, I finished, didn't I?

Good times. We're lucky to live in such a beautiful corner of the world where you can ride your bike for hours and see more horses than cars!

Whiners in helmets

Heard this story on the way home from the office today. It's about a bunch of whiny cyclists in California who are mad at the drivers that threaten them on the roadways. Now, I am not an advocate for threatening cyclists, but I am an advocate for using common sense. I like to ride my bike, but I'm smart enough to stay off roads that have a lot of cars or that are too windy and narrow. And I certainly don't ride two, three-people abreast on aforementioned windy and narrow roads.

Here's a really insightful quote from the story:

"When I see the light turn red, I try to race as fast as I can through it," she says, "because I know I will have a block of peace and quiet, where there won't be cars behind me."

Yeah, that sounds like a great strategy.

Just stick to the back country roads and you'll be fine! Last time I checked, riding your bike on a major thoroughfare in one of the most congested regions of the of United States was not included in the Bill of Rights. If you love your bike so much and want to ride it every day, move to Kansas. I'm sure they have ample shoulders for your Cannondale 12 speed.

Oh snap!