Rides have a mind all their own. This statement might sound a bit weird to those who don't ride, but trust me when I say that it isn't me controlling the ride. The Ride can do that all by itself without my help. Many times, I'll start the ride with a particular goal or route in mind. Sometimes, the Ride agrees with me and everything is uneventful. Often, I never know where it'll take me next.
The Ride is Good
The good news about the Ride, is that it knows this world better than I do. I can often become easily lost. Those that know me best know that I actually have think about it before telling right from left.
The Ride, though, takes me down roads I've never seen, and through parts of town I've never been to. It takes me there, shows me spectacular views, teaches me pain up steep climbs, and then brings me back again. The Ride is the protagonist--always fighting against my early-morning self. It teaches me to love biking even more each time I'm out.
The Ride knows what I need, even when I don't
Today, the Ride took me up hills. Lots and lots of hills. I know it was the ride guiding me, because when I left I said, "I want to get in as many miles as possible today. I don't really want to do hills because I did so many last week." One corner after another led me to unfamiliar territory, and up many hills. The Ride kept pushing me, too. I would think my hill work was done for the ride, but the Ride would throw another one into the mix.
Rarely, I can fool the Ride
While climbing up a particularly steep hill near my house, I took the opportunity to end the ride. I feigned right, then darted to the left. The Ride, I think, must have been planning out the next hill when I did so. By the time it realized where I went, the Ride gave up on me and I limped down my street to my house.
Aside
On a particularly steep and windy descent (one over which I'd never ridden), I got going too fast for a turn. I think I panicked when I grabbed the brakes and my rear wheel lost traction and skidded about 10" before I let go and got the bike under control. I'm glad the front wheel stayed solid. That could've been nasty.
I hope to put in a longer ride on Saturday, but I have to work and put in a new fence--which, coincidentally, is also work.
2 comments:
"The Ride" vs. the "early-morning-self"
It'll be a knock down, drag out fight!
Did you mean 10" or 10' -- inches or feet? 10" isn't really that much. At all. Seriously.
10 inches. You mean to tell me that sliding that far on a tiny little contact patch doesn't bother you?!
I admit, however, that my biggest fear is laying the bike down and all that carbon fiber shattering into a million tiny worthless pieces.
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