Blog Fill

What do you write about when there's no racing going on? That's easy...training. What else is there that is local and bike related?

So, this morning I got up and dragged myself out on a 2.5 hour ride. I began at my house here in Saline, rode up Maple to AA Saline Rd. to whatever that road is called that runs behind Target and Outback restaurant to Scio Church to 7th to...yada, yada, yada Chelsea. It was a little humid but otherwise beautiful morning.

For all of you that train regularly on HRD, do you recognize this wonderful stretch of ashpalt?



Always a lot of fun to negotiate. I must have intimate knowledge of every pothole and asphalt
patch on this beautiful stretch of road.

Anyway, it was on to Zou Zou's for a b-room break and the price of using that nice restroom is a small coffee.
I can't resist this place. It's not that they have the world's greatest coffee because they don't. The coffee is brewed and left in these thermoses to keep warm which means the coffee is never piping hot. It is just okay. But the location and warmth is second to none. And I should mention, Paul's Reuben is killah'.

So, I re-mounted my blue steed with coffee in hand and rode the back streets over to Aberdeen Bike and Fitness.

James has an appointment scheduled for Monday that I needed to cancel so rode my bike right into the store, (the front doors were propped open), coffee in hand. I got some approving gestures as it seems this coffee/bike connection is universal. As I left, I heard one of the employees make some approving comment about the complete appropriateness of drinking coffee while riding.

(listening to this very strange and somewhat addictive song by Regina Specktor.)

After disposing of the cup, I motored down the chip and seal of old US12 to Jackson road and held a steady 25 mph with an awesome tail wind and this song blasting in my ears.



Made the right hander on to Parker Rd and then the left onto Scio Church dodged the gravel trains at Zeeb, continued to Wagner and made the right hander down the hill. Whew, I was flying downhill with a tailwind! Hang on! 35 mph steady. Along the way I saw some turkey vultures cruising around and I wondered where they nest and what that scene might look like. Then, looking to my right, I saw a barn with four or five of these huge birds roosting. I stopped when I saw one of them holding out its wings like it was just learning to fly I stopped figuring this might be a fledgling. I watched and noticed some of these were flying into the barn. Hmmmm. Nest inside the barn? I wonder.

Anyway, back on the bike to the intersection of Wagner and AA Saline Rd and I let a gravel train hop in front of me. I jumped into his draft as he went north of 40 mph somewhere. I jumped out of his draft when I hit some major rough pavement at 45 mph or so. Hang on again!!

On to Woodland, right turn into my sub and then into my neighbor's drive for some friendly chit chat before moving two doors down to my own home. All this by 1115 am. What a day. Now, shower, eat, pack and fly out to the west coast, check into a hotel, get dinner and sleep, get up early tomorrow and fly home. Pinch me someone.