Air quality index

There is indeed an air quality index website. Today for the time when I wanted to ride it looked like particulates was going to be the major pollutant but I guess ozone made a late surge. Despite the fact that an alert was issued earlier today the ozone level did not even reach yesterday's level. The air seemed OK. But it was hot yet again, another three bottle ride.

Adam fall down but he get up again? Ain't never gonna keep him down? Chumbawumba, I think. The problem with riding a bicycle is that there are just the two wheels and there just are going to be times when you really need a third to keep the center of balance under you. No third wheel? Down you go. Adam, I hope you have no serious injury. As a guy who falls down at least once a year about all I can offer is at least you aren't the only one.

I had an experience during tonight's ride that reinforced a couple of other bicycling maxims. I was riding and what felt like a pretty large bug with a very hard and sharp exoskelton tagged me full on in the chin. I was reminded, without having to relearn the hard way, to keep my mouth closed. I was also reminded of the importance of good high quality glasses. I have been hit very directly in I think 3 or 4 of the different pairs of sunglasses I own. I am very confident that drug store sunglasses would not have handled the impact as easily as my bicycling sunglasses in each case did. Today I was reminded that I do not want to eat a big ugly bug and I do not want to lose an eye. Those sunglasses absolutely are worth what I paid for them.

The wind was from the south yet again so I rode to the river again. The river is a deceptive ride. It is relatively flattish and without cross streets which require a stop so good speeds are easily maintained. And the ride towards the south, which is the direction I am riding on the way out, has more slightly downhill stretches than uphill so even into the wind the average speed stays high. Today I turned around at the overlook above Hidden Falls across from the Ford plant.This is a view down the river gorge over the tops of the trees down in the park at river side. The ride back is with the wind at my back so again, average speed stays high. I don't actually ride a lot harder but I get a higher average speed and I feel faster. The problem is that there are some real riders on the River Road who easily remind me that I am not fast. But it feels good anyway.

On the way home I swung past World Cycling Productions to check on their warehouse sale which started today. I leaned my bike against the building next to the tent they had erected in the parking lot and took a quick look around to try to decide if I want to head back over there with my plastic in tow. As I was leaving one of the managers was walking towards the tent with a folded table that he was bringing to the tent area from the main showroom. From about 20 feet away he said, "Nice looking bike". I said, "Thank you". He kept coming and from about 10 feet away he said, "Very nice looking bike". World Cycling Productions in the past sold very high end bicycles including Colnago although they now seem to specialize in high end bicycle gear. In any case a manager of WCP is a person who should know a nice bike when he sees one. I am going to take his comment as a definite compliment for the Look, the second official "nice bike" of the season.