I rode out to Porcupine this morning. I spent the first half the ride cussing at my Polar CS600 since it ‘couldn’t find the sensors’ and the screen kept going out. You’d think that changing a battery wouldn’t be such a dramatic experience.
I went out to Porcupine dam which is a great morning ride since you can do it in about 2 hours. Aside from a deer and a small squirrel there wasn’t a plethora of critters on the road for me to hit. Since I was by myself I was grateful for that.
I had a head wind on the way back which always sucks. I don’t mind expending extra energy climbing but something about riding into the wind just ruins my day. It might be that I can’t hear anything and even large semis have a tendency to sneak up on you in those instances.
On the way back I saw two cyclists off in the distance. I’m not particularly fast but I like to catch up to and pass other riders. I don’t compete but that small victory gives me odd joy.
So I fly past and it’s an older guy and his wife. So much for grand victories. I’m so cool I can ride faster than someone twice my age – I’m pretty pathetic on some days.
Anyway I’m riding along and the husband comes up beside me and says, “I couldn’t just let you pass me.” I laugh and start talking to him. He used to do Lotoja every year. He’d put in 5-6k miles each year training which is pretty impressive. However, what impressed me is that he was riding. As we get older most people resign themselves to sitting around dealing with the health problems they’ve acquired throughout their life. These two, probably in their 70s, were still riding together.
That’s how I want to be.