It was a gorgeous late-summer day...and life intervened. The new semester is starting, so I had various things to attend to, including course outlines and finding and restoring links to readings and films I'm assigning my students.
At least I got out to ride in the middle of the afternoon,. I took Arielle, my Mercian Audax, off the peg and inflated the tires. I knew she would feel great after spending a week on a rented hybrid, but Arielle exceeded my hopes and expectations. I felt as if I were in a race car suspended by hot-air balloons. Or maybe a flying carpet with jet engines.
Whatever the metaphor, the bike overcame the deficiencies in the human engine. Possibly the best part of all was riding a Brooks Professional--which is starting to feel really broken-in--after whatever was on the rental bike and the cheaper leather seat on my LeTour.
The bike felt so good I just wanted to keep on riding it. And that's what I did, all the way to Connecticut.
I'd've gone even further than I did into the Nutmeg State, but I really didn't want to ride back in the dark. I have lights, but riding back from ConnectIicut means passing through a couple of dodgy neighborhoods. I've ridden them in the dark, with no problems, but I prefer to avoid nocturnal rambles in them.
I descended to the Queens side of the RFK-Triborough Bridge just as the sun was setting. From there, it's only a kilometer to my apartment after 120 kilometers of delightful cycling.
I arrived in a glow of twilight, and in an afterglow of an invigorating ride--and, of course, my adventures of the past few weeks!
At least I got out to ride in the middle of the afternoon,. I took Arielle, my Mercian Audax, off the peg and inflated the tires. I knew she would feel great after spending a week on a rented hybrid, but Arielle exceeded my hopes and expectations. I felt as if I were in a race car suspended by hot-air balloons. Or maybe a flying carpet with jet engines.
Whatever the metaphor, the bike overcame the deficiencies in the human engine. Possibly the best part of all was riding a Brooks Professional--which is starting to feel really broken-in--after whatever was on the rental bike and the cheaper leather seat on my LeTour.
The bike felt so good I just wanted to keep on riding it. And that's what I did, all the way to Connecticut.
I'd've gone even further than I did into the Nutmeg State, but I really didn't want to ride back in the dark. I have lights, but riding back from ConnectIicut means passing through a couple of dodgy neighborhoods. I've ridden them in the dark, with no problems, but I prefer to avoid nocturnal rambles in them.
I descended to the Queens side of the RFK-Triborough Bridge just as the sun was setting. From there, it's only a kilometer to my apartment after 120 kilometers of delightful cycling.
I arrived in a glow of twilight, and in an afterglow of an invigorating ride--and, of course, my adventures of the past few weeks!
No comments:
Post a Comment