Thursday my oldest daughter has dance and I have been threatening to bring my bike along for the last few weeks. Yesterday I finally did. I loaded up the Giant and we headed to Fenville. Lake Michigan is around 6 miles from the center of town and there is a park about 8 miles away. I figured I would ride out about 10 miles, turn back, stop at the park, and finish the ride.
Meg headed into dance and I was getting ready to head out. Here is where the awkward moment came. A worker from the dance studio walked out right as I pulled my basketball shorts off. Her eyes were wide open and she said "hey" in a strange kind of "what the hell are you doing" voice. I simply said hello back and headed out of town.
I remember the roads being flat, but they are gentle rollers all the way to the lake. I crossed US31 and was feeling pretty good considering the wind. I turned south and caught a huge blast of wind from Lake Michigan. The shore was probably 200 yards away but my breathing noise was drowned out by the crashing of the waves. It has been a long time since I have ridden in wind like that....and with nothing to slow it down I was getting the full force of it. I felt like slowing down, but the trees picked back up and I pressed onward. When I reached 10.5 miles I turned around and headed back.
The trip back to the park seemed like it took forever. The wind was blowing more in my face now and I could feel how slow I was going. I finally got to the park and stopped for a photo op and to see the waves. Took a drink of water and headed north again. The wind was cold and I could feel it cutting through my "cold weather" gear. I knew as soon as the sun got behind the trees that I was going to freeze....so I did what any normal person would do.....I hammered the last 5 miles back the car.
The hills seemed bigger but I pressed onward and finally saw the outskirts of town. I got to the car and started loading up. A solid 21 miles on my new bike....which for the record.....felt awesome. Fast even....super light....but not twitchy. As I am thinking about this a older man rode over the track on his bike. He was wearing a baseball hat, jeans, and a flannel shirt. His bike had a variety of items attached to it....ranging from an American flag to a 12-pack of Bud Light. He rode past and a minute or so later rode up behind my car. He said "do you need anything, I am a biker too" with a partially tooth filled smile. I explained to him that I was fine and that I was done with my ride. He rode on and disappeared around the corner. When Meg and I were leaving he rode past again and yelled "HAVE A GOOD RIDE MAN" like Cheech or Chong most likely would say it.
So....minus the awkward moments....the ride was awesome. Rest day today....and a double Yankee tomorrow. Wish me luck.
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