November 25, 2018
Why hello! I didn’t see you there! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and/or late November. Some of us local USians got together on Thanksgiving Eve and did a some drinking with a couple short bouts of bicycling interspersed. Rich and Nick started off quickly, so I had to pedal my ass off to stay within sight of the group. My heart laboured valiantly and, for several moments I pondered the difference between good and bad stress levels as they relate to one’s heart. Eventually my friends slowed down and I was able to catch up for some conversation on the trail. At our stopping point we met a garrulous 70-year old who I will call Jerry. He said he loves the social aspects of bicycling and compared bicyclers to hippies because they don’t seem to give a shit and they just want to have a fun time. He told us about going to see the Beatles’ suits in Time Square prior to riding the Five Boro Bike Tour. A bicycling doctor (possibly a urologist)’s wife said she was glad they went to see the suits because she used to ride the bus to school with John Lennon back when they were schoolkids. Jerry also was enthusiastic about his e-bike, which allowed him to enjoy all the group rides that he otherwise might not be able to if he had to pedal his ass off just to keep up.
Well, that makes sense to me. If Jerry appreciates the e-assist, I am glad they’re around so that Jerry can be around! Just as long as they stay off the dirt trails! We had a fun time socializing for what may have been about an hour before we headed back to the White House Bar and Grill.
The Tour De’Lights event is rapidly approaching and is due to arrive on arrive on Saturday, December 8. Although I’ve never been on it, I am sure it is a good time. Maybe once Snot Jr. is a bit older we can get out there to attend one of these rides. In the meantime, the weather forecast is looking a bit snowy, so you might want to make sure you’ve got some warm clothes and maybe some snow tyres for ye olde bicycle. Here are a couple that look pretty good:
For awhile I was nervous, but when I saw the promotional flyer I knew this was just what the doctor (urologist) ordered. Dr. Bob said I will only have to stay off the bike for a week, but also to stop if it hurts.
I have also occasionally been enjoying a game called “The Biking Game” with the family during the Thanksgiving weekend. It has been great! I learned about the classic Schwinn 1954 Black Phantom. However, I’m not sure I believe their classification of the célérifère is the earliest ancestor of the bicycle. Some sources claim that it had 4 wheels! My current, half-baked belief is that the draisine is our most venerable and honored ancestor whom we commemorate on ancestral bike days, dates of which vary based on local customs and is different from Bicycle Day.
Please honorably and responsibly roll-on, good people, roll the f on!
Your humble BSO
