fear and smiles

this morning's ride started with fear (because of stupidity) and ended with (unexpected) smile.

i left my driveway just before 5:30 and headed up pine street toward the highway. as i neared the intersection of the two, i heard the deep rumble of a semi coming into town from the east. i spotted the trucks headlights as i rolled past the north end of the high school. he was still a little way off, but not far enough away that i felt comfortable shooting across the road before he got there. i should have stopped completely. instead, i slowed, looked left saw no cars coming and proceeded onto the left side of the road. seconds later a pickup pulled up to the highway on main street and turned east toward me. a glance over my shoulder told me i was in trouble. the truck i was still there and bearing down on my position. the smaller vehicle coming toward me was picking up speed. i did the only reasonable thing i could. i took my 700x23 tires, skinny as they are, into the ditch. i rode there until both vehicles had passed and then struggled back up onto the highway. tell your children not to do what i did. it was stupid! i am the bad example you've been looking for.

the middle part of the ride was your everyday, garden variety roll through the countryside. nothing terribly exciting happened. i didn't save any possums from death by semi. i didn't climb any giant hills. i just rode out to danville and turned around.

close to the end of my ride, though, a rather unusual thing happened. i had just looked up and figured out where i was (i sometimes space out while i'm riding in the dark and have to orient myself to my surroundings) when a car pulled up next to me driving slowly. the woman driving the VW bug rolled down her window and asked, "are you training or just exercising?" not sure how to answer that, i said, "yes." she didn't quite hear me, maybe because my balaclava muffled my voice, so i pulled the face mask down and repeated my answer.

"oh, it's you, mike," she said. "i didn't recognize you." it was michelle, my neighbor who's planning to compete in a local triathlon this year. i hadn't recognized her either.

"hi, michelle," i said. "have a great day!" with that she drove off and i finished out my last two miles with a smile on my face. (15.99 miles @ 14.8mph)