Back On The Bike

This photo is from the Marble Falls race that Joe and I talk about so often. You are all familiar with the story -- how close it was, especially on the run. You're also familiar with the speedos, and how fantastic I look in them. The speedos have stayed in the closet for a while now, and thanks to the sponsorship of an awesome bike store, they won't be making an appearance anytime in the near future. 

The blue Cannondale has stayed inside as well, though too big to fit in the closet. You know that story as well -- of why the bike, the running shoes, the goggles haven't been used. 

This week, after a quick wash and a few well-placed sprays of tri-flo and with the assistance of a bike pump, the bike was looking ready to go out again, so I obliged and took it out Sunday. 

The Sunday ride was magnificent. Joe and I left my house at 2:30 in the afternoon [a good dentist joke is begging to be told there, but I'll let it slide], and we set out for a short ride. It was a hot day, which is rare in Texas this summer. As we rolled along the familiar roads, I realized that I'd drained my aero drink and water bottle in the first few miles. Joe's water hadn't lasted much longer. And so we stopped at a grocery store and I went in and grabbed too much water and ice and gatorade and coke, and we sat in the shade and talked about football and baseball as we drained these wonderfully cold drinks.

The remainder of the ride was surreal; when I went to look at my bike computer to see how long we'd been riding, I realized I hadn't even turned my speedometer on. Joe and I talked about things that brothers should, about what we were wrestling with, what we were looking forward to, what we had overcome. It was a talk most have over a beer and we had it over the hills in the outskirts of Austin; how fitting. 

I'm excited for more days like Sunday. Far too often I worried about pace and distance instead of enjoying the sun and the road and the fact that I get to ride with my brother.

I also went out again today, this time with Ryan. Ryan, since he's been in Austin, has only done one route in Austin -- the Fitzhugh out and back. Figuring he'd appreciate a change of scenery and that I would be as good a guide as any, we set out to do the same ride Joe and I did a few days earlier. 

The clouds were out today, and it provided periods of shade which you can only appreciate when you've cooked in the sun before. I still drained all my water in the first hour or so, so we stopped at a gas station and drank the coldest water and gatorade we could find. 

Again, there was something amazing about being on the bike. Something not forced. I climbed the hills and felt strong. I was riding not because there was a race to train for, or some program to follow, but because it was nice and I could. 

At one point today Ryan called out from behind me. He said "Look, who am I? I'm drafting you." I guessed Joe, which Ryan told me was correct and we both laughed and continued riding. Those are the best kind of jokes. 

We continued to pedal and we talked about how moronic a sign that said "Noah's Ark Pre-School" was; Noah had many things on his ark, and we were both pretty sure that a pre-school wasn't one of them. As the conversation progressed, Ryan shared his belief that Noah had brought a supermodel on the ark. 

The conversation rolled along with the road, and as we neared home, Ryan asked why I was flicking off a few birds. 

-"Because birds don't do anything," I said.
-"They sustain our eco-system."
-"No they don't. They shit on cars."
-"They also make this planet livable."

-"Yeah dude. It was a few crows and an owl that started the big bang, wasn't it?"

Ryan shakes his head in disbelief. 

-"That's what I thought," I said. 

And so we pedaled home, both convinced the other was an idiot, and both right. 

It's good to be back on the bike.