Pedal Party

On Saturday, I did my first 200k ride.  126 miles.  And that was the short route.  The other routes were 400k and 600k.  I met some friends for breakfast at Denny's at 5:45 a.m., and we were on our bikes by 7 a.m.  The weather was perfect - in the 60s as we rode out, and warming into the 70s.  We rode out of Brookshire, up to Belleville.  From there we headed out to Burton.  There was a rather nasty crosswind that made holding a straight line difficult.  We arrived in Burton around 11 a.m., which was almost the halfway point. 

From Burton, we rode to Brenham, and then to Blinn, and then back to Belleville and back home.  By the last 25 miles, I was ready to get OFF the bike.  I wasn't bonking, I was just tired.  I was proud of myself, though.  By setting my watch to go off every 30 minutes to remind me to take a salt tab, I was able to stay on top of the electrolytes.

Two of the older guys in the group were in their mid-60s.  By the end of the ride when the rest of us younger ones were slowing down, they were still out in front, pulling strong.  That's one thing I love about cycling - you see people of all ages and stages of life doing it. 

Sunday was the Pedal Party.  I didn't quite know what to expect. I was told we were going to ride a 16-seater bike on the streets of Houston.  BYOB.  I brought root beer.  ;)  The owner told us the bike was built by two Dutch guys in Holland.  It literally sat 14, with room in the center for the bar tender.  We pedaled down Washington, averaging 4 mph.  At one point, with everyone cranking as hard as possible and a slight downhill, I think we hit 8 mph for a few seconds.  After my epic century plus the day before, I was quite happy to find one of the seats over the wheels that had no pedals and enjoy the ride.  All up and down the street people were staring at us and taking pictures.  One fellow quite driving and let his car coast while he held his camera up through the sunroof to take a picture!  The funniest comment came from a police car - as he passed us he used his megaphone to say, "Pedal faster!"  Definitely a memory I won't soon forget.

Perspective

Yesterday, I complained.  I complained inside, I complained to God, and I complained to my best friend on the phone.  I was complaining about the fact that my hip still hurts when I run, about work, about being tired, and about being irritated with a myriad of minor inconveniences.

And then last night, I ended up sitting across from a woman who spoke little to no English.  She was attending English classes to help her learn the language.  In her broken English, with some help from the students around her, she told me she works 6-7 days a week, cutting hair.  She lives alone.  Her husband abandoned her two years ago, and she finally started coming to the English classes just to do something new and try to get away from her sadness.  Looking at her, she probably has no health insurance or savings. 

I went home thankful for my job, my health, and my friends and family.  And that I speak the language of the country in which I live.  Sometimes it's just a matter of perspective