Old Skool Ridin'

Tuesday was awesome...it threaten rained, but I didn't care. As of this Wednesday, I have EXACTLY 4 months to prepare for the 11th hilliest RAGBRAI! So, I was riding the FGSG Tuesday ride if the Lord was willing and the creek didn't rise (which it did a little).

6pm rolled around and 5 FGSG were on wheels ready to go...Mr. Funk, Razz, Cuzin Chris, Cuzette, and myself. It was a bit chilly at the start after the 'heat shower' came through, so of course, I overdressed for the ride. Arm warmers, vest, and rain jacket were shed about mid-ride. Man...to say that Tuesday's ride was old skool would be an understatement. Long-time friends catching up on long lost memories....priceless!

We reminisced about Hotter N Hell trips, we joked about the riders we once were, and we laughed as if there was no tomorrow. Though some of us are nursing separated shoulders or contemplating what is next in life, nothing changes when friendship has been formed. It was as if just yesterday, the gang trekked across Texas (going 95 mph on the interstate and stopping at EVERY possible McDonalds), rode 100 miles together, shared a meal at the local steakhouse, transported a rider to the ER because he "celebrated before he hydrated" and then jetted back to LR to ride together some more!!! Mr. Funk informed me on the ride yesterday that he is indeed descending upon Wichita Falls again with Ms. Fondoo to round out his tenth HH100. You go Yale....and I miss riding with you!

During this ride, I was reminded why I ride. Simply said...'I am' on the bike. What does that mean? Just that. I am free, I am happy, I am glad to be with other cyclists, I am overwhelmed with a sense of being, I am eager to share the joy of cycling with non-cyclists, I am __________ (fill in the blank with all of the emotions you feel when pedaling)!

Writing that paragraph made me think of this weekend. Steph and I went to Columbia, MO to take our League Certified Instructor (LCI) exam. Passing this 3-day course will allow us to teach others about bicycle safety. We both did well on the 85 question written exam, 2 road tests (including night riding), 2 handling skills tests, and the classroom instruction test. Oh, did I mention it was 34 degrees and raining...they had no mercy on us... get out there and RIDE if you want to pass!

Anyway, one of the exercises was to write down (a) the make/model of your very first bike (mine was a pink Huffy), (b) your favorite memory on that bike, (c) what important lesson you learned from that bike, and (d) what one feeling that bike gave you. The participants' responses in this LCI course were not unlike the emotions described above (independence, excitement, etc). Take 5...think back to your first biking experience and let me know if you DON'T have the same feelings when you ride today! And thanks FGSG for making each ride memorable~

Ride on (safely of course),
SK