I was too tired to update last night. Here’s why:
I ended up taking a three-and-a-half-hour bike ride.
KCMO is surprisingly hilly, and Sam (the dude who leads the rides I’ve been going on) LOVES the hills. Mad-man! Riding with him, on top of not really feeling that great yesterday, wore my ass out. We have a lot of these nasty, sneaky hills, where you are riding and it just seems like an unnatural effort, and you have to look hard before you realize that the horizon is suspiciously short, and by golly, you sure as shit are going uphill. We also have plenty of the traditional hills which mock you, standing proud in your path, daring you to stand up on the pedals and do your worst.
I was seriously sucking it up yesterday–I had no oomph, and the group I was riding with totally got away from me, so I was like, “well, I kind of know where I am, and there’s no chance of me catching back up with the group, so I’m just going to work my way home and call it a night. I just need to get north some 70 blocks and east about 20.”
The Grip-Shifter that I JUST replaced like two months ago is giving evidence of being ready to break again, and I gave that fucker a workout last night, let me tell you. I will never, ever, ever have another bike with that style of shifters. They’re too fragile; I lose one a year, though we’re going two to naught already for ’05.
Well, thanks to the magic of interstates cutting the city up, boulevards that twist and wind all over hell and creation, and random parks that crop up here and there throughout the city, there was nothing at all like a straight shot for those 90 blocks, and I’d already done roughly 130 blocks already. I have no idea what my trip total was, but I know it was more than those simple 90 blocks I’d envisioned.
Goodness only knows how many miles I logged, but I drank three 22-oz bottles of water and was out for, as I mentioned three-and-a-half hours. The one nice thing about my little adventure was that I got to cruise some pretty sweet neighborhoods. Benton Blvd. is really pretty, so anyone who ever makes it to KCMO, you should cruise that street.
Here’s a tip I’ll pass along for free. Don’t get lost when you are on a bicycle. You will be ever and ever so tired when you finally get un-lost.
The night before last, I didn’t get much sleep. For reasons I do not know and fear to comprehend, there were two helicopters with searchlights trolling high above the neighborhood, and there was a cop car staked out across the street from my house. Did not make for a good night’s rest…every noise was obviously a serial killer seeking refuge in my mudroom, you know. Last night, however, I slept like a hibernating bear, and would still be unconscious if not for the alarm clock and the burning stab of responsibility, reminding me to get myself upright and get myself to work!