Another Beatiful Day, Another Awesome Ride

Another beautiful day; another awesome bike ride. It was in the high 50's here today. My friend Eric and I went out after work and did the same flat ride (with a small extension of climbing) that we did last Friday. I managed to negotiate the railroad tracks without incident this time.

Eric and I have been riding, running, and swimming together for almost ten years. There was a short hiatus when he spent two years in Taiwan. Eric was one of the people responsible for getting me into triathlons.

When I first arrived at Corning, I was looking for a group to run with. I started running with the group including Eric and others. They were also triathlon training, so they were swimming and biking as well. They said, "Hey Karl, you should come swimming with us." or " Hey Karl, you should come biking with us. I have a bike you can borrow." Growing up near the ocean, I cannot remember not being able to swim, so I thought, "Sure, I am a strong swimmer. I'll be there." I was unpleasantly surprised to learn that swimming laps in a pool is much different from negotiating waves in the ocean.

It was early Spring that first year I was training with the group, when they were planning to go up to Albany for a sprint triathlon. I wasn't ready to commit to competing, because I lacked confidence. However, one by one, each of the training partners backed out, due to injuries, other commitments, ..., until Eric was the only one left. He was lamenting to me about having to go up to Albany all by himself or back out. I decided that I would go and compete in the masters class (usually, more competitive than the open class, but what the heck; It was in Albany, nobody would know me there!).

It was a great trip; the bike leg of that trip is really what got me hooked on biking. I had been training on a older heavy steel bike (compliments of Eric), but for the race a friend had loaned me a real road bike. I came out of the water and started the bike leg, which began with a small climb out of the lake's basin, when it felt like the bike was shooting out from under me. It was a tremendous feeling. Later in the race, when I was cooking along, I saw a group of riders up ahead of me passing each other in something that looked like drafting (not allowed in triathlons). I blew by them and none of them could stay in contact. Another thing that made me want to get a bike like that. A few months later, while visiting Bill and Carolyn, I visited Mike's shop, at the time thinking I would just get advice on what to look for in buying a bike, when I ended up shipping a beautiful aluminum Specialized Allez back home. I have been loving it (the bike and biking itself) ever since.

First Ride: Blood on the Tracks

It was 61 degrees F today. My friend Eric and I went out near the end of the day on one of our training rides from work. It is a flat ~16 mile ride that we usually take out and back. It is on a back road with not too much traffic. It has rained a few times this Spring, so most of the roads are clear, except for the shoulders. It rained yesterday, but the heavy fog we got this morning is a sure indication that it will be a clear sunny day.

This was our first time riding outside this year. It felt great to be cruising down the road with my good friend. We were catching up on things and chatting away when we came to a railroad crossing. The road rises up to the rail bed, then drops back down on the other side. The tracks are at an angle, so it is always prudent to be careful crossing over them. I was under the impression, with the warm sunny day, that it wasn't going to be a problem, but there was a thin film of mud on the train tracks that caused my front wheel to slide out along the steel rail. It happened so quickly that I didn't really have a chance to tighten up or prepare for the impact, so I just kind fell on my hip, rolled over my shoulder, then flipped over and slid about 15 feet or so. I think I was going about 15-18 MPH, full of enthusiasm for being out riding. I cracked my helmet and tore a small hole in my jacket, and, other than a couple of road rashes, was otherwise unscathed. After a few minutes, to make sure everything was okay, we got back on our bikes and finished the rest of the ride.

I didn't feel anything until the end of the ride when the salt from a little sweat made the raspberries on my hip and shoulder sting a little. I should have paid a little more attention to the tracks; I did on the return. It could have been worse, I suppose. I am not phased by it, and can't wait to get out riding again. I'll go shopping for a new helmet tomorrow.