First 100 Miles

No, I didn’t bike 100 miles today, but the odometer on my bike computer did pass over the 100 mile mark today.  Since I got my new bike I have ridden it exactly 110 miles.  That's just my ‘forward progress’ mileage and doesn’t include the hours I spent spinning on my bike this winter.  I have learned many things in my first 100 miles.  For example, I’ve learned how to take the front wheel on and off, how to put the bike on a trainer, how to clip in and out of pedals and how to blow my nose while riding (sometimes those bike gloves just don’t cut it when it’s cold outside).  I’m starting to get a little braver about riding on the road and I’ve hit a new maximum speed of 26.4 miles per hour (don’t get too impressed, it was downhill and I went that speed for all of 18 seconds).  I have also seen quite a few hilarious things while riding.  Today, in fact, I saw two things that made me laugh. 

1.       I like dogs, but some people and their dogs are just too extreme for me.  Today there was a lady riding a bike with her dog.  Now you are probably picturing a gal on a bike with her dog blissfully running next to her.  No.  The dog was actually on the bike with the lady.  The dog wasn’t even in a basket like in the Wizard of Oz; this dog was strapped to the lady’s chest in a pink baby sling.  When I have a dog again that dog will be running, not getting a free ride.

2.       At first I thought this next guy was ridiculous, but the more that I think about him I think he might actually be onto something.  He was walking on the trail with a long rope and at the end of his rope was his son on a tricycle being towed along.  It was kind-of like the boy was water skiing…only the dad’s walking was much slower than a boat and it would probably hurt a lot more to fall on the cement rather than the water.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that there will be more than one occasion this summer when I wish someone would tow me on my bike.