The Works

Today I rolled up to Saratoga Springs on a solo tempo ride. It was just one of those days where everything meshed. I started things out nice and easy for about 1/2 an hour, and then proceeded to ramp things up to tempo pace. Focusing not so much on the ride itself, rather, the beautiful, dry weather, the scenery, and the endless, twisting roads laid out before me... All pouring into my mind's eye in sync with my endless stream of music supplied via mp3. As I turned the gears over, my legs were absolutely in control, almost numb. My speed was quite high, and my pace as consistent as a car's cruise control. Mostly, though, I was relaxed and at ease. A kind of high only endurance athletes are capable of understanding.

Somewhere around the halfway point of my ride today, I found myself thinking of a chocolate chip frappucino at the corner of Main and Washington. I glanced over my shoulder to check for traffic when I saw a guy coming up on me. Exhausted, he said he'd been trying to catch me for several miles, and had gone all out to make contact with my wheel (Alpha status? Check). We introduced ourselves and wound the pace down a bit so we could chit-chat. We talked about racing, riding routes, living in the Saratoga area... You name it. We came up on his turn-off and we exchanged numbers with intention of hooking up to do some rides.

Groovy.

Okay - time to hand out the kudos:

First off, to my good friend Sebastian who was cool enough to send me not only a pound of Coeur D'Arome coffee from France, but also an official t-shirt from le tour. I look forward to savoring the coffee and explaining to people, ad infinitum, the provenance of this special garment from Lance's final victory.

Next, to Tim and Sue Bingham for doing an awesome job representing the NY central region in the recent Empire State Games. To be a part of the team and compete with our state's best is quite a feat in and of itself. Way to go Bing-hams!

Lastly, to my man Nathan, who's packing up and going west. I wish we'd gotten more rides in together this year, but those that we've had have been fantastic. Good chats, good laughs and good rants, all over some good miles. Riding in and around Schenectady just won't be the same from here on out... Mainly, it will be easier without the quadzilla on the Giant. But to carry on the torch, I'll remember: 4 up Crawford at 12 minutes, and from the tracks to Amsterdam in sub-20.

Roll on.