Today is the day.
A perfect sunny day. My cycle is lubed, the tires inflated perfectly. It has been years since this cycle has been on a road and today is the day it returns to duty. If you page back on this log there are numerous entries related to a bike crash a few years ago, subsequent brain damage, treatment on and on it goes. The bottom of all those lines is that for a few years and for a variety of reasons I have been staying off roads when it came to cycling.
There is a track near Pittsburgh, paved and clean and well kept. I have never been on it, but I have driven past it. Today I put my cycle in my car, which I have always found ironic when I have seen others do it, but today, it is what I did. I drove to the track, got out, dressed and go on my bike.
I have never been on a track like this before, with the sloped turns and perfectly laid asphalt. There were a couple of riders circling the track, one slow and just out for a stretch, one in lycra and speeding. I just wanted to see what it felt like to be on pavement. I started slow, there was a decent flat so I peddled and the wind it my face was just a little shocking. I did a loop at a nice pace, only passing the slow guy, but most important for me, not being passed by anyone, which is often one of my internal goals.
Second loop my legs felt strong and I was not breathing any differently, so I decided to push myself a bit and shifted into a harder gear and started to peddle faster. I passed the slow guy again and on the flat, I passed the fast guy and as I approached one of the curves, with no warning what so ever, I was passed on the right so quickly it was shocking. It was one of those speed demons, on a bike worth more than my car, no fat on this guy and he was pumping hard. I pulled in behind him, as is my way. Find the fastest and try and stay with him. That lasted about ten seconds. I quickly realized I am in shape only indoors.
Outside riding is a lot more complex than indoor riding. Elements play a factor, there was a kids party in the inner part of the track, so there was human movement to keep an eye on, and always the bike and the road. Since it has been years since I have been on asphalt, I was strictly monitoring how the bike felt, listening for any new noises, strange little tweaks that might be coming from a chair or tire. A flat tire at 25 miles an hour can be very painful. I have been told by medical professionals once or twice that my brain might not respond well to another trauma.
I did the loop a few more times. I was riding the entire loop at a strong pace now, with discomfort in my legs and lower back. Every time I came near the parking area I started to think of ending my test day, but instead, I would talk myself into another loop. Then three cyclists joined. All lycra clad and obviously in cycling shape. Since they were just warming up, I passed them with ease and continued on my way. As I was approaching them to lap them the second time, they seemed to shift and all fell into a line and picked up their pace. I passed them on the outside and it took a lot of work. I did another loop without any of them passing me and I called it a day. The battery on my odometer is no longer working, so I could not say what my average speed was, how many miles I went or the fastest I was able to go. It did feel good. The sun and wind. The other cyclists. The road under my tires.
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