Fine Line, Fantastic Story

There is a fine line between stupidity and bravery. I’m not sure which side of the line Chris, Carrie, Teresa, Matt, and myself were on when we set out on the Hub ride this morning.

The gale force winds hurled the snow at us with the speed of a Nolan Ryan fastball. As we headed down Lockwood, I thought to myself …“Defrosters for eye shields would be genius.” Despite our impaired visibility, the ride went pretty smoothly until we applied our brakes at the Geyer/ Clayton Rd. intersection. My heart jumped into my throat as I found myself sliding helplessly toward Clayton Rd. Luckily I was able to get off the bike and bring it to a stop about one foot before gliding into oncoming traffic.

As we rode, our bikes and bodies became about as glazed as a Krispy Kreme donut. We soon found out that ice packed brakes and gears are about as useful as a knife in a gun fight. Often times I found myself braking by dragging my foot on the ground. Carrie helped our cause with a mid-ride rear derailleur de-icing. An occasional bunny hop also proved effective in knocking off the ice coating.

Our odyssey ended back at The Hub where we were greeted with looks of amazement. You rode in that? Yeah. Those who had spun inside that morning looked at our ice covered bikes in utter disbelief. It could be argued that we were stupid, but no one could contest that we were tough.

When conditions are good and things go smoothly, the ride often goes unmentioned at a later date. This ride, however, was special. It was special because we had overcome very adverse conditions. Months from now each and every one of us will bring up this ride with a certain sense of pride….”Remember when…..” the story will begin. From there, the conditions may become a little exaggerated but who cares. It is a great story.

Rev on no matter what the weather,

BR