8/21 rides

[cherinyc]

Ok - so I've never written one of these - seen them, but was never so inspired to write...until today. Something in the planets must've been off - cause it was strange out there. I guess when you ride the public trails in Denver, CO or anywhere it seems in Denver, you are bound to have a day like today.
1. First - dead animal # 1 - freshly dead pigeon, mere inches from my tire.
2. Riding the trail as a guy is running towards me with a ~70 lb dog on a retractable leash. Behind him, an older road cyclist attempting to pass, when he clearly should've waited until him and the runner were past me - but didn't. The cyclist attempted to pass on the runners left, when all of a sudden the dog - who apparently has something against red cars - shot out in front of the cyclist and into the road stopping the red car. Unfortunately, the retractable leash was retracted in the cyclists path who was thrown from his bicycle as the dog escaped from his owner. This was about 8 feet in front of me. The dog ran off with the owner calling after him, and the cyclist commented to the runner that he needed to better control his dog. This comment infuriated the runner who exclaimed "F-off, you should have said something from behind me".
Ugghh! Drama! I stood there and the cyclist got up, and was ok- and I just pedaled off.
3. Riding through a nice neighborhood and passed a cop car, and a cop talking to 2 older teenage boys. Across the street about 2 houses down, another teenage boy (with a badly beat up face) is crossing the street towards the cop. Wonder what the fight was about?
4. Circling the lake at Washington Park on the car-less path, and pass a poor little squirrel - down, but not yet out - as he lay there with one leg still twitching. My only thought was he got hit by a cyclist. FH told me he was probably only stunned. I hope so.
5. Coming down a very very steep, narrow, and zig-zaggy ramp that leads back down to the trail and for some reason there is a 500 pound man in an electric wheelchair stopped in the middle. I had to unclip and shuffle past him as he just sat there looking at me - like I was in his way.

That was only a 20 mile ride.

[Crankin]

My ride yesterday was 12.9 miles on the Jamis, which included riding to West Concord to meet someone for lunch at Nashoba Brook Bakery and returning via a stop at the bike shop so I can bug the owner some more about my impending frame switch. He wasn't there (of course), so I left him a long list of questions, which also informed him of my choice of new bars and the Ultegra short reach levers. I am paying for those, but I want to see if he can get me a better price on the levers. I don't want to get him pissed off, though, because he is essentially giving me a new bike after 2 years.
It was gorgeous out, but not quite as cool as the day before. However, it was still in the sixties when I left, so I wore my Terry Scooters, with an Ibex t shirt. On the way home, it was close to 80 and my legs were really sweating in the Scooters. But, being a slave to fashion, I wanted to wear them because I bought them in May and have only worn them once. They are very cool looking, but it's weird; they seem too big in the waist, the same as the Terry skort I bought at the same time. I always wear an x small in other Terry products and they fit perfectly. I washed the skort in hot water and it shrunk a bit, but I am hesitant to do that with the Scooters, because they are a weird material, with a lot of laundering restrictions. The liner shorts also are huge on me, with a pad like a diaper. I already ditched those for my Sugoi liners that fit like a glove.
So, aside from my fashion issues, a very nice ride with no speed pressure. When I'm on my Jamis, none of the roadies wave to me and I always wave to them. I guess flat bars and a pannier make you an invisible cyclist (even though I have clipless pedals, gloves, and a roadie helmet).