Sunday, February 14, 2010

37 degrees and fog

The route for the ride this morning was from Lost Creek, up 360 to Jollyville to Duvall to Parmer. I had done sections of the route previously, but not the whole part. 360 is really hilly, and in talking with other members of Team Turtle, apparently it induces quite a bit of crying. Great, the longest ride of 2010, plus the hilliest. And then add in cold weather- 37 degrees and foggy, though the forecast was for the fog to clear off and sun to come out and warm up into the 50s. But fog and cycling is not a good combination and I was concerned no one would show up.

I was wrong. 40+ T3ers showed up, plus some Olympic team members- never did figure out who they were. JK wasn't training for anything yet, and said she would ride with me, and without K to organize, the other members of Team Turtle took off and we never saw them again the rest of the day. But JK was great to ride with, and due to the cold weather, and concerns about the hills coming back on 360, we decided to turn around for the 40 mile route, and that was a smart decision. So we stopped for a bathroom break and some hot chocolate to warm up.

And then, the honk. I'll set the scene. There was a 25 yard section from the driveway of the 7-11 up to the light. The right hand lane was a right turn only lane, and there were two other lanes going straight. There was a marked off island at the light. So I wait in the driveway for a clear lane, and when there is no one in sight in the right hand turn lane, then go the 25 yards to the island, thinking JK is right behind me, turns out she's fixing something on her bike. That's when a gray Audi sedan honks repeatedly and guns up to the right turn, and a middle aged brown haired woman has rolled down her window and she shouts: "Hey fat ass, get out of the road!" There is another woman in the passenger seat. And then they speed away. After a second to comprehend what happened, I waved at them. I've learned that giving drivers the finger when I'm on my bike is not a good idea. I think she must have come out of the Sonic next to the 7-11.

So what did I learn from this experience? I was totally not at fault here. There are angry people everywhere and they are going to be angry no matter what you do. And it's not my fault that this woman lives such a miserable, worthless life she feels the need to take the time and energy to yell at cyclists. Really, she is pitiful.

Then the rest of the ride was good. The sun finally came out, and there were a lot of cyclists out on the roads, which is always good to see. JK got a flat, but she changed it quickly and easily. And then the 360 hills going southbound- they are as difficult as they said, but no tears. Just a pain in the ass, literally. It's tiring to sit and grind the small gears for so long. And add the squeaky creaky seat post, just irritating. But luckily no return of the saddle sore from last week. And then finally, we're done. We finish at the same time as some of the longer distance T3ers so I get a chance to chat and stretch. Then home for shower, sandwich, and a nap. And the Olympics are on! But another post on that...

3 comments:

everybody's entitled said...

Curses to the woman in the Audi:

Collection of Curses

1. May all your teeth fall out except for the one with the toothache!

2. May your daughter's hair grow thick and abundant, all over her face!

3. May onions grow in your navel!

4. May the IRS disallow all your deductions!

5. May all of Santa's reindeer get the shits on your roof!

6. May you be stricken with epilepsy while having open heart surgery!

7. May you be ticketed for driving 56 on the Interstate highway!

8. May you be described in the paper as an "alleged child molester."

9. May the fleas of a thousand dead camels infest one of your errogenous zones.

10. May the desert winds blow a pissed off scorpion up your undershorts.

Tia said...

I like them!

F said...

Your mom is completely right on the curses, I like them too! Seriously, how sad is that woman? what must her life be like? oooohhh. I fear the thought. Glad I don't know her.

I had wondered if you did the marathon or the half and that post answers that question! Sounds like (otherwise) it was pretty good. The weather was spectacular up until around 3:30 or so...