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Life gets busy at times. And then there’s the un-cooperative weather. Mix in some natural laziness, and you have the perfect recipe for a late start to the biking season. Yesterday, though I finally got our fleet of bikes out and got them ready for riding. For me, this means washing off the winter dust, inflating the tires, a quick lube of the brakes and derailleurs, and Bob’s your Uncle! Then I put the bikes away for the night, but they didn’t spend very long in the basement, as this morning we took a family ride to one of our favorite local diners, at Bagels by US on Mass Ave. After that, we continued up Mass Ave. a ways into Lexington, but not as far as the center, and then we hit the Minuteman Bikeway and cruised back home. We then watched the small Memorial Day parade, which we almost always do (I remember my dad being with us last year). This year, Clara and I followed the parade past their first stop (right near our home) and into the cemetery, and heard all the speeches, many of which were sobering reminders of what Memorial Day is all about (hint: it’s not about shopping).
Then shortly after noon, I headed out on the bike again to Lexington Center, to meet up with my friend Mike, to go on a longer bike ride. It was challenging, to say the least. A loop a little over 20 miles, which was about 10 miles more than my legs felt up to today. My excuse is that Mike’s legs were fresh starting at Lexington, but mine already had about 13 miles on them before we started out together. It was both good to get out, and yet miserable. Mike and I are often pretty equivalent riders, but he’s already got more than a couple hundred miles on the bike this season, so he’s way ahead of me, and that’s where he spent most of the ride. Here’s a picture of me from the ride: Sorry to have held you back, Mike. Maybe in a couple of months I’ll be able to keep up with you. We stopped for lunch at Fern’s in Carlisle, which is quite obviously a big biker hangout. Anyway, here’s what our route looked like:

The last 5 miles I did on my own, after Mike got back in his car and drove off from Lexington Center. That part is included on the map, while my 5 miles up to Lexington aren’t. All told, I put about 40 miles on the bike today. Which is good. Though it doesn’t feel that way now. My legs, butt, shoulders, and neck all ache from the abuse.

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