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01-28-06, 02:28 PM
Today was probably the best riding weather we've had in upstate New York for the past month. Still snow on the ground, but the roads were clear, the sky was blue, and temps were in the high forties. So I pull out the steel steed and go for a spin. Not two minutes into the ride I pull onto a long stretch of highway and there's another cyclist about two hundred yards ahead of me, cranking at a very good clip. He's too far away to see what he's riding, but even from this distance it's clear he knows how to ride it.
So, sez I to myself, let's see if we can catch this guy. I get down in the drops and start to hammer. Nothing truly serious -- on the off chance that I do catch him, I don't want to be totally gassed when I do. But I'm definitely gaining on him, and before long the gap is down to a hundred yards, then fifty. Of course, he's got no idea that I'm puffing along behind him, so it's hardly a fair fight. But I'm really enjoying this.
And then, just as he's cresting a hill, over the hill coming the opposite direction is a runner... and it's the wife, out on a seven-miler. She recognizes me, slows... it looks like she's smiling.
Decision time. I pedal a few more hard strokes, think better of it, and sit up, clip out, and pull over for a kiss. He disappears into the distance.
Probably just as well. I got a nice smooch out of it, and once the guy finally heard me on his wheel, he probably would have dropped me like a bad habit. :)
On an unrelated topic, I stopped by the LBS today, and one part of The Bike is now in... the pedals. I went for the same Speedplay Zero pedals that I have on the steel steed, but in Ti for this one. I didn't specify color, so the LBS guys decided to get the Team CSC red pedals, instead of the standard black, to go with the red accents in the paint job that The Bike will have. Works for me. I'm starting to think these guys are almost as excited about this bike as I am!
So, sez I to myself, let's see if we can catch this guy. I get down in the drops and start to hammer. Nothing truly serious -- on the off chance that I do catch him, I don't want to be totally gassed when I do. But I'm definitely gaining on him, and before long the gap is down to a hundred yards, then fifty. Of course, he's got no idea that I'm puffing along behind him, so it's hardly a fair fight. But I'm really enjoying this.
And then, just as he's cresting a hill, over the hill coming the opposite direction is a runner... and it's the wife, out on a seven-miler. She recognizes me, slows... it looks like she's smiling.
Decision time. I pedal a few more hard strokes, think better of it, and sit up, clip out, and pull over for a kiss. He disappears into the distance.
Probably just as well. I got a nice smooch out of it, and once the guy finally heard me on his wheel, he probably would have dropped me like a bad habit. :)
On an unrelated topic, I stopped by the LBS today, and one part of The Bike is now in... the pedals. I went for the same Speedplay Zero pedals that I have on the steel steed, but in Ti for this one. I didn't specify color, so the LBS guys decided to get the Team CSC red pedals, instead of the standard black, to go with the red accents in the paint job that The Bike will have. Works for me. I'm starting to think these guys are almost as excited about this bike as I am!