skipped out of the office for a ride at 9:30 today.a misty morning with a lovely tailwind that made me feel supah strong. i found myself looking down at my heart rate monitor out of habit tho I wasn't wearing one. look up, look up, i kept reminding myself. look at the mist blowing through the trees. look at the city appearing through the fog. sometimes, all this training gets in the way of a good bike ride.
years ago, before all this bike racing my favorite joy was to get up early on a saturday morning and go for a ride on my old green three speed with the totally worn in brooks saddle that felt like buttah.this was when I lived in SF. i'd wake up at 6:00 and be out the door. I'd wear stretchy tights (no padding, with visible panty line) tennies, a lightweight jacket, a walkman (about the size of an encyclopedia) and a backpack with a book inside. the book was for the cafe that I would stop at out on the pier. i was into John Updike at the time and was loving the Rabbit series. the cafe was never at the end of the ride, but right smack in the middle. I'd stop and get coffee and read and then when I was good and ready (sometimes a couple hours later) I'd get back on the bike, fire up U2 (or is it UQ?) on the Walkman and ride and ride, to the next cafe. i never ever thought about heart rates, but I did like going up hills and in SF it's pretty easy to find a hill.
today was kind of like that: my schedule called for a 2.5 hour easy ride. but I found myself thinking about crits and TTs and checking the clock, making sure I completed my workout (and also got back before sundown). But sometimes I wish that I was just out in my stretchy tights and tennies, riding around town with a book in my backpack.
but I shouldn't complain. am I complaining? It's rather nice to have a job where I can take off and no one notices i am gone. (maybe I should worry about this?) and sometimes when I do go for a ride during office hours I hope and pray that I am not side-swiped by and SUV. I mean how would I explain that?
Just what, people might wonder, was an SUV doing in your cube.
10 comments:
"Just what, people might wonder, was in SUV doing in your cube."
... it was the terrorists.
i looked for you out there today. but i went around noon.
and, that's how i met morgan when we were youngins. he'd ride his bike and stop in the cafe i worked at. and i'd give him free coffee.
don't think about getting hit by an suv. it'll only jinx you.
yes! freakin terrorists everywhere....
and i never got anyone to give me a free coffee...maybe it was the vpl
our friend, you know her, called in sick and went for a ride in napa, sort of had minor run in with a semi...she was knocked off her bike and fell inches away from the semi's tire...
"Just what, people might wonder, was in SUV doing in your cube."
Have you seen XBunny drive?
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Semi tire...yikes!
as long as you are wearing clean underwear
"U2 (or is it UQ?)"
HAHAHA
VPL can jinx a lot of things.
Nice. Funny - when I think back on what I used to wear, the bike I used to think was a snazzy ride, the effort, the speed, etc. - all of that has changed.
However, most of what I believe makes for a nice outing on the bike has not.
eclectchick..splain yourself
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