August 9, 2011

• Delayed, By What?!

               So life has settled back to some semblance of normalcy at our house.  It has just been a week since emergency rooms and trips and family visits.  Went to work Saturday morning as usual, but this time I threw my bike and riding gear up in the top bunk of the sleeper.  I stop in Harrisonburg or Elkton, VA and have to take a 10 hour break before I can finish my route on Sunday.  We got new International trucks a month or two ago and they are large enough to easily swallow my extra cycling gear, so the idea had been running around in my mind for a while.  Since I live on the "Eastern Shore" of Maryland, I don't have anywhere where I can ride in the hills nearby, and this would kill two birds with one stone.  I'd get a nice ride in, and I wouldn't have to take extra time to drive somewhere to find hills.  My route went well Saturday, so I was off duty by 5 pm and quickly changed into my gear, filled up my water bottles, put the bike together and I was off.  Got in a good ride of around 12 miles, and started to head back to the truck. There was a storm brewing to the west, but except for a few spots of drizzle I should have plenty of time to get back before the deluge.   Notice the word "should".  I caught every light on route 33.  Each one seemed to last forever and the storms approach was relentless.  Finally, about a mile away from the truck I was smacked in the face by a huge raindrop.   About a half a second later, the next hundred hit, and my visibility went to zero at the same time a thousand needles began to prick every inch of exposed skin.  I quickly found a nearby Italian restaurant with a little bit of an overhang and took shelter.  In fifteen minutes the rain eased and  I knew it was my chance.  I put the bike in gear and pedaled with all my heart.  I thought.  When the lightning started, I found a previously unknown reserve, and I made it back to the truck in record time.  I took everything apart in the rain, and doing my best to dry it as I put it in the truck ended what had turned out to be a very good workout.  I'm still feeling it in my legs today.  I got up the next morning and was off to hit my last three stops, hoping to get home early.  Got the first off quickly and was off to Luray, only to find the road blocked by police.  "You gotta be kidding me!" But then.... I saw the bikes come flying by.  I had stumbled on the last stage of the Tour of Page County!  They were having criteriums (a series of laps around a technical course) so the cops said they'd escort me through once this particular race had ended.  Meanwhile, I got to watch my first real bike race. This was the lowest category for adult men, Cat 5, and these guys were flying!  The course was on the side of the hill, and I was on a downhill corner.  I finally got through, made my delivery, and as I was pulling out of town saw the Cat 4 guys lined up to start, so I parked and walked over to a corner at the start of the climb and was able to take in the next stage.  Of course, my camera ran out of juice right as I started to take pics, so I got some pics on my cell phone, but there went my hopes of an exceptionally early end to the weekend's work.   Today, much to the chagrin of my children, is the day we take a look at all the things that didn't get done over the previous crazy three weeks, so as soon as I get this posted, it's back to work on the house, the pool and the yard. What fun!

  

  The first lap of the Cat 4 race

  

  

  

  

  Pics don't show grades well, but if you look at how the foundation angles on the green building as opposed to the actual sill of the building which is level, you'll get some idea of the steepness of the hill.

  

  

   

   

  • 10:25 am
  • 1 Comment