travis is a pain

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/66687116

travis is a pain. i suppose i could have said, "travis is a dog," and every cyclist would have understood, but not everyone here is a cyclist, so he's a pain. if you view my garmin info, travis is the spike in heart rate and speed at mile 12. i was watching for him when i passed his house. looking intently for motion. travis and i go back a ways. we've met before. so i'm scanning the yard at travis' house and something on the other side of the road, my side, catches my eye. i swing my head that way and there is travis in the ditch. he spots me. he barks and starts climbing out of the ditch. i jump out of the saddle and sprint. i yell at travis. "go home!" i say. he ignores me as he escapes the snow that was slowing him down and hits the highway. travis is fast. "go home!" i don't know why i repeat myself. travis does not speak english and he does not obey. i mash the pedals. i can't do this forever. "go home, travis!" no energy left. if he doesn't stop, i'll become dog food. breathe, mike. breathe! travis stops. i have survived.

other than travis, this ride was not much of an adventure. i walked over ice to get to dry pavement before i started. i rode out. i rode back. i felt pretty good until travis chased me. i felt lousy for a few miles. i recovered. i stopped and walked my bike home. the end. (20.16 miles @ 16.2mph)