Funny story... ehem. So I went for a ride on the Interurban Trail, which runs from scenic industrial Renton past scenic industrial Kent to scenic industrial Auburn. Fourteen miles of warehouses on one side, and railroad tracks on the other. There is a lovely view of Mt. Rainier on one side but it isn't really compensation for the trail itself. Very straight, very bland, running under an electrical right-of-way. Might be more fun on a go-fast bike, but I was on the Sports. Anyway, I picked it because it was nearby, and it was in the sunshine, and the temperature was hovering at 33 in the shade and just under 40 in the sun.
First off, a shot of the delights of the trail:
sportsride4 by
snarkypup, on Flickr
The ride started interestingly enough, with this guy hanging out in the parking lot where I left my car:
sportsride5 by
snarkypup, on Flickr
He let me get that close, and just glared at me a moment later when I cycled by him. The Sports and I enjoyed this next moment, pondering the origin of this trail:
sportsride6 by
snarkypup, on Flickr
In the basket is a waterbottle, my purse and (a moment later), my camera. Sometimes my gloves. I love being able to whip them off and just reach back and drop them into the basket without slowing down. The Sports zipped along.
The Root Beer Bomber meets another sturdy machine:
sportsride1 by
snarkypup, on Flickr
Finally, I posed for a self-portrait in bundles, with bike:
sportsride3 by
snarkypup, on Flickr
Note the balaclava, snow boots and lined nordic ski pants. It was a tad chilly. Shortly after I snapped this picture, as I was walking over to get the camera, the ground beneath the kickstand gave way and the bike crashed in the opposite direction (dang basket) onto the concrete. The right grip, the shellacked-and-beautiful-but-much-hated Portuguese cork, shattered. Well, I thought, god clearly agrees with me that the cork sucks. So I pedalled the 10-12 miles back to the car, and took the Bomber straight to the lbs. They pried off the rest of the grips in about 2 minutes. Had I known it would be that easy to get rid of them after I attached them with automotive glue (per Riv's instructions), I would have gotten rid of them months ago. On the shelf was a cheap pair of those hand-sewn leather grips with padding inside. Dark brown with lighter brown stitching. We slapped 'em on. All done! New grips are on, and look great. Very padded and comfy, and if I hate 'em later, I'm out like $15. All in all, a great ride, and a great outcome. About 20-24 miles.