I had barely biked a half mile when I began to regret my decision. The Oak Trail bike path runs north-south along Lake Michigan. As I began my trek south I noticed a headwind. It wasn't too terrible but I could tell it would make the 5.5 leg south a pain in the ass.
Maybe pain in the ass is selling it short. When I hit the nastiest hill it killed me. The wind took away any momentum from the smaller hill on the flat path. By the time I hit the nasty hill I was frantically downshifting to find a gear that would be comfortable. That still drained my battery by the time I got to the top. Even from there is a slow incline to the end of the segment.
The rest of the trek south wasn't too bad. Rode past a cute blonde jogger. Sadly didn't see her on the way back. Saw a bag of garbage with a teddy bear in it. I don't want to know what happened there. Came across some asshole who doesn't understand that when encountering a bike coming at you, you should move behind your girlfriend instead of staying next to her. 3 across on this trail is tight. I should have kicked the mofo over.
But that all paled in comparison to the head on collision I had after getting by the mofo. I went around the bend and BOOM! I ran head on into an innocent butterfly. I was ok but I am pretty sure that butterfly flew off with a limp. I hope he survives the night.
Thankfully the ride back was much smoother. Sometimes it feels like the wind changes direction and you are riding into it both ways. I was happy to feel it at my back. About the only thing I had to deal with was the guy in the recumbent tricycle. Though he was doing a good pace, he was hogging the path. I had to wait for a good straight way before I could get by him. I must say I was tempted to draft him all the way back.
Next time I bring the mp3 player and listen to music. It may make things go by even quicker.
No comments:
Post a Comment