Total for this year: 28.4 miles
It's been 110 days since I've ridden. 30% of a year. 2640 hours. 158,400 minutes. 9,504,000 seconds. Practically an eternity. But at long last, I'm back on my bike.
Did the typical round trip commute from Bushnell's Basin to RIT. I was on the trail before the sun came up, and although the temperature was 35 degrees, it felt colder. I was glad I went with 4 layers on top.The outbound ride was fairly uneventful. I stopped to take a self-portrait at Lock 32, and a shot of the twin guard gates south of the UofR. But other than that, there was really nothing else worth noting.
After work, as I was leaving the Carlson Building, I saw one of my students, Joel, coming down the stairwell with a bike. I asked him where he was going, and he said he was headed to his home in the city. I asked which way he was going and he indicated that he planned to head north on Rt. 15. I calmly explained to him that Rt. 15 would be a good way to go, IF HE HAD A DEATH WISH! And I offered to let him ride with me on the Lehigh Valley Trail, which would be much safer. Although it seemed like he really wanted to ride alone, he agreed to follow me as far as the UofR. In the end, he was glad he did. And I felt like I saved a life.
We had a little excitement crossing Jefferson - although we crossed at the crosswalk, with the "walk" light, some idiot coming from the other direction felt he had the right of way and tried to cut in front of us as we worked our way across the street. I pressed on toward the curb (as I should, having the right of way), essentially cutting him off, which set the dolt into a bit of a rage. He hit his horn and gestured wildly at us. Where's a cop when you need one...
After that the ride was smooth sailing. I rode with Joel as far as the canal towpath, then turned east and head for home. With the temperature in the 60's there were a fair number of people on the trail. A couple of interesting sights on the way. Saw some guy riding either an old-style big wheel bicycle or a large unicycle. I couldn't really tell because I was fumbling with my camera as he passed. I completely missed the shot. Also saw a couple of cute girls on a bright yellow tandem. Kind of different.
Even though it's been 110 days since my last ride, today's commute didn't feel too bad. The outbound was fine - the legs were a little stiff when I got to the office, but it was a good kind of stiff. And I made pretty good time on the return. Until I hit Pittsford. I guess at that point I kind of ran out of gas. I mean, I was able to keep going, but I could tell my pace had dropped off considerably. Still, even though I was slowing down, I kept thinking to myself, "Every minute on my bike is a gift from God." I got back to the truck eventually.
Don't know when I'll be able to ride again... looks like next week's weather is going to be a return to winter...
Oh, yeah. Notice in the picture below how I celebrated St. Patrick's Day by wearing my green Tour de Cure jersey.
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