That was hard

It was pretty nice this morning so the Guest Rider and I set out just after 10am for a 3 hour tour (as is often the case, I recommend right click and open in new window to have the theme music play in the background while you continue to read on here). The wind was strong from the west. We took a couple of loops, first in the neighborhood, and then again at the Fairgrounds to determine whether the wind was more southwest or northwest and eventually agreed that it was southwest. That meant that today's ride went down the intercampus transitway again. We turned off just before the stadium and cut over on 27th Avenue SE for the river crossing at Franklin. I wanted to keep heading west so after getting off Franklin into Minneapolis' Seward neighborhood we roughly paralleled that Midway Greenway bicycle path and headed on towards the west into the heart of south Minneapolis.

I wanted to visit the Freewheel Bicycle retail establishment on the Greenway at some time when I had a companion. I wanted a companion so that someone could watch the bicycles while the other person went inside and looked around. So we followed 24th over to Minnehaha and then south on Minnehaha and onto the Greenway to utilize the bridge over Hiawatha. It is about a mile from there along the path until you get to the bike shop.

So we were about 14 miles into the ride when we got to what would be the turnaround for the day at the bike shop. This was a bit beyond the usual distance for a turnaround but it was okay because we had done those loops on the way out. On the way back we would be riding a more direct route and figured to finish with a mileage that would be about the usual for a GRider and Moohoo ride.

It was still pretty nice out when first GRider and then I went in and browsed the store. But when I emerged the weather had changed. It felt like rain.

The wind was strong at our backs and we started to ride hard. Before we even got off the path I was hit full in the face by a big fat raindrop. As I have stated here before I am highly, HIGHLY, motivated by rain. We were a long ways from home. The sky looked bad, the atmosphere felt like rain, we were feeling the occasional raindrop. It looked really, really bad. We started to ride hard.

We rode pretty much full out for about nine miles. It was hard.

It was the most rain I have ridden in this year. But we never rode anyplace where the street was wet. The rain seemed to be holding over Minneapolis and as we worked hard to move ourselves north the rain stayed mostly behind us.

We rode back up the intercampus transitway and as we went over the big, big overpass over the railroad tracks we suddenly rode out from under the clouds into a patch of overhead clear blue sky. There was rain to our backs, rain on both sides, rain ahead of us, blue sky over head.

We made it home without getting wet but we had to ride hard for nine miles. It was hard. GRider reported feeling a bit knackered but to tell the truth she recovered more rapidly than I did. I was better while we were still riding but as evening sets in I am still pretty much over done.

We made it home and even had time to stop for a photo.

GRider has been photographed at this exact spot probably eight or nine times this year.That corn won't be there for long but as long as it is, GRider for scale.

I read an article in Presse Ocean about the FC Nantes unusual goal in yesterday's game with Nimes. The article concludes with the statement that you will probably be able to see the goal everywhere on television. Well, I have scoured the internet today. I have seen the goal but I have yet to see anything that is worth a link so that other people can see it. All you get is a long range view that too late focuses on the keeper as the ball bounces over his head. I will keep looking.