Riding to Lunch

It was dark -- really dark -- when I stumbled out the basement door this morning. I mean, it's bad enough that sunrise is getting noticeably later each day, but on top of that, there were some clouds in the east blocking what little scattered sunlight there is at 6 am. This is always a tough transition time for me. The morning darkness makes it hard to get out of bed, and every little drop in predawn temperature just reminds me that, before I know it, I'll be searching for the arm-warmers. And so I rode out to meet the group somewhat unenthusiastically today, swerving around the tracks in front of the crowded streetcar barn. To make matters worse, it was one of those days when the riders weren't all on the same page. I took a few pulls but soon got frustrated with the jumpy pace and frequent gaps. Finally I just sat up and dropped all the way to the back, eventually settling in behind Lawrence who was on his TT bike shadowing the tail of the group a couple of bike lengths back. The smoother pace was just what I needed today.

On the way back I guess I was a bit more involved until the crash. It happened just past Williams Blvd. Those of us near the front didn't even realize there had been a crash. We heard some yelling behind us and looked at each other. "Someone punctured??" After slowing down and making a U-turn, I could see someone lying on the concrete slope of the levee and knew there must have been a crash. It turned out that Big Randy, who often rides with the group on his TT bike, had gotten tangled up in Steve's rear wheel and gone down pretty hard. His helmet was cracked in numerous places and he was favoring his right shoulder and elbow. We later learned that he's sprained his AC joint, somehow avoiding anything more serious.

Around lunchtime I decided not to let the slightly cooler and drier air go to waste and rode over to Whole Foods for lunch. There's nothing better than a absurdly expensive sandwich to make you feel better. On the way back, I pulled out the Blackberry camera and took a few shots along the way - a look down the oak-shaded road in Audubon Park, the front yard of a house on Audubon, and a classic Victorian cottage with the classic New Orleans landscaping - a big Sago Palm (yes, I know it's really a cycad), some Louisiana Iris, and Boston Fern in a hanging basket on the front porch. They aren't very good photos, so you'll just have to use your imagination a little bit. These are some of the little things that make living in the city so nice. Today, I think the ride to lunch was better than the training ride.

So Rich S. is presently leading the way toward forming a Tulane cycling club. I guess it will all depend on the level of interest we can get from the undergrads. We'll see how it goes. If LSU gets one going too, things could get interesting.