It was around 12:30 pm when I arrived at Mike's house. I came with a pair of running shorts and a sleeveless top. I didn't come dressed in full bicycle wear because Mike texted me a couple of nights before that he didn't have any gear. Anyway, as I was parking my car, Mike struts out of his garage with a pair of bike shorts, a snug fitting, moisture wicking shirt that he got for free from the turkey trot we did on Thanksgiving, and a very serious bicycle jacket on top of it. I was proud that he took his first training session seriously enough to wear the proper clothes for the sport. Yet on the other hand, I wanted to laugh so badly because not only have I never seen him in bike gear before, but also because I wasn't prepared to see him in such tight fitting clothes.
The Ride
We snapped our helmets on and jumped on our bikes. Mike asked if I wanted to put my wallet and my phone in his jacket's pockets before we started riding. I said yes and that's when I noticed the weight of his bicycle jacket. It was thick. It was heavy. It was also a warm 80 degrees outside. I asked him if he was sure that he would want to wear it on this 10 mile ride. He said yes and started pedaling.He was pedaling so fast that I had to remind him that we still need to warm up. I told him to shift down and pedal easy. I have never rode my bike in Milpitas before so Mike lead the way to a bike route that he's familiar with.
Mike looked really good in the beginning. He was riding at a good pace and looked very comfortable in front of me. His thick, heavy jacket didn't seem to bother him. The roads were ideal for anyone's first day; they were smooth and flat. The only thing I questioned about the ride at that point was how crazy busy it was. There were way too many cars on the road. We would eventually get to a road that is less traveled, but to get there Mike would need to pedal about three blocks uphill...
No comments:
Post a Comment