Letters from the bike trail

[TrekTheKaty]

Dear bike shop dude,
Why is it so hard to buy a bike? No, I'm not here to buy a fitness bike. I know what I want: upgrade my road bike to carbon frame, switch to compact double, shimano ultegra (or SRAM equivalent) and relaxed geometry.

I did a ton a research on the forums . I shopped the websites. Every manufacturer uses different "frame sizes." Apparently, WSD is a marketing term. Then, you rented me a bike you can't order. "Come back in September. Maybe you'd like this one we have on the floor--one size too big, hideous blue and shimano 105."

I ride as far as you do on the weekends, just not as fast. I have my credit card in my hand. And I don't want pink! (sorry westtexas)

Sincerely,
Frustrated and driving to your competitor



Dear fellow (male) rider on expensive bike,
Thanks for chatting with me at the stop today. I'm not a young woman anymore and never was fast. I appreciate your attention, since my husband on the high-end Look custom bike usually gets all the attention.

Sincerely,
Pedaling a little faster

[TrekTheKaty]

Dear Mother Nature,
I got up at 6:30 am on my day off to beat the heat and the humidity is already 83%! Forget that those us without "allergies" have been sneezing. I can handle the heat, if you must. I have my camelbak full of ice, sunblock, kleenex and will take it easy on the pace. I won't curse the headwind going both ways, but it's STIFLING out here

Sincerely,
Puddle on the side of the road

[Becky]

Dear wasp who stung me on a high-speed descent: I hate you.

Dear self: You rock for not dumping the bike during the wasp incident.

[goldfinch]

Dear cat along the trail, you really did not need to kill that squirrel. I doubt you are going to eat it. But it is your nature to hunt so I accept that. But why the torture? The silent scream of the squirrel has been with me for a week.

Dear recumbent bike riders, thank you for letting me quiz you ad infinitum about your rides. I want one too! And thanks for admiring my Safe Zone helmet mirror, even though it makes me look like one of the collective Borg.

[pll]

Dear teenager in the bike lane,

Please do not stop suddenly and then move your bike across blocking the entire bike lane. Cars back... Oh, no... What are you doing? What!? You have ear buds and can't hear a thing?

Sincerely,

One of the two cyclists who nearly crashed

[AppleTree]

Dear Dude walking down the Interurban Trail today carring a large American flag... I don't know what you story is, or why you were doing that, but you rock!

Signed, Patriotic Cyclist


Dear yellow and orange butterfly floating down the side of the trail visiting all the lupins and poppies and buttercups, how you made me !

Signed, Enchanted


Dear weather gods... thank you for today. This is the day we've been dreaming about all winter long here in the northwest.

Signed, Still Drying Out


Dear, dear sweet downhill grade through the cool and shady woods on the trail...I got up to 32mph. Wow, it was good for me, was it good for you too??

Signed, Satisfaction

Dear Owlice...this is the funniest thread I've seen in a long time, thank you!

Signed, ROTFLOL

[zoom-zoom]

Dear Deer that I almost ran into at 20+mph, yesterday,

Sh!t or get off the pot.

Sincerely,
2-legged thing who wishes you'd stop eating her hostas and pooping in her yard

[Marquise]

Dear Cycling Gods,
Thanks for two days of fabulous weather on a holiday weekend and for making my husband's injured toe feel good enough for him to spontaneously decide to ride with me today about a week earlier than expected! Also, thanks for getting me through 30 miles two days in a row even though I'm old enough that I'm more of an every-other-day cyclist.
Yours,
Grateful Cyclist
P.S. I hope his return to the bike doesn't backfire and said toe is better for keeps.

[ArgyleDinosaur]

Dear Bike path caretakers,

Please don't fix parts of the terribly worn and destroyed pavement by covering it with loose gravel. My front tire hit the gravel awkwardly and left me picking bits of rock out of my road rash.
Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Ow my appendages hurt



Dear guy who was jogging down the path wearing a gas mask,

WHY THE HELL WERE YOU WEARING A GAS MASK!!!???

Sincerely,
The staring, confused girl