Summer racing

True stories:

Sunday as I was riding on Otter Lake Road on the way back from Bald Eagle I got passed by a bicycle racer. I know he is racer, and a good one because he is a person actually known to me. I know that he actually races, he actually enters sponsored bicycle races on weekends. I was riding along Otter Lake Road at a respectable rate, good even, at least for me, when someone touched my arm. He arrived without any other notice than the touch and hello. But the way in which he arrived was not startling or rude in any way. He slowed slightly and we were able to exchange a few words before he rode away. As I say, he actually races, he is way faster than me, I expected that he would quickly leave me behind. He did exactly that but in a manner which made the encounter all together cordial and enjoyable, at least to me.

Today I rode over to the river (south wind, don't you know). It was hot. Well, not hot, but hot by comparison to the putrid coldish spring. Racer boy was out in force. I got passed by a girl on a mountain bike who I had to wait behind on the next upslope to avoid passing back. I got passed by a helmetless college student on a Schwinn Varsity when I slowed to avoid riding up next to a right turning SUV. The idiot kid went ahead and rode past the truck, I didn't. I got passed by lots of people racing, almost always rudely, competitively rude. Not a single one of them struck me as actually fast, I doubt that any of them actually enters bicycle races. They do all their racing on the River Road on summer evenings.

I intended to ride the more or less regular River Road route but racer boy was such a hassle that I broke it off and turned around and came home, completing the desired mileage with a short loop in the neighborhood instead. This is an overlook on the Mississippi where I turned around.It somewhat continues the whole forms of transportation theme as a river buoy should be visible down there through the trees. The buoy marks the Corps of Engineers guaranteed 9 foot deep channel through this part of the Twin Cities.

My legs were better today.