There is a big hill leading into the Flint Hills that I love and hate to climb. Last weekend, before house hunting, I went on a short ride with some friends including my real estate agent. We climbed that hill, the first hill in the Dirty Kanza 200 route just outside of Emporia. This hill hurt some of us more than others. I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves.
There were a few more cyclists, but I already put my camera away. Looks like I was the fastest one, but to be honest, I didn’t wait up at the corner for the others. I wanted to get up to the top to shoot some pictures and yell at the climbers to pedal harder. Nothing like acting like the climb was a cinch to get on people’s nerves. I was the youngest child and still get a kick out being a nudge.
Coming back towards town I set a pretty good pace in the front of the group. When I feel that good, I gotta go with it. I knew Tim, the giant in the picture above, would soon catch me. He did and said, “Setting a mad pace up here.” He’s a cycling stud, and I was a little giddy that he said that to me but I also knew the pace would quicken. I tried to explain that I wanted to get a good workout in since it was a short ride. I’m not sure he heard as he exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke and picked up the pace even faster. Finally, my little legs couldn’t keep up any more. I did hang with him for just a bit though. OK, he wasn’t smoking, but he didn’t seem to be breathing any harder than a fat man with a cigar on a lazy boy recliner clicking past the Tour de France to watch Nascar.
I get stuffed up and congested and sometimes short of breath when I ride or run outside. Exercise enduced asthma? I am not sure, but many times I start to wheez and feel short of breath. Anyone else deal with this and have a solution?
We cut the ride short, and I was still feeling great. I couldn’t waste it, so I broke off from the group and kept going. I tried to keep pedaling hard enough to feel the burn, but not burn out. It ended up being a great workout. I felt great on the bike again. I had my eye on the clock to make sure I would get home in time to shower, eat and look for houses. Our house finally sold after around two years of trying. The bad thing is they want us out in 20 days from last weekend. It’s all good. I wanted to downsize in order to have more money to put towards Adventure Monkey. Keep your eye on the monkey, because things will be picking up soon. I might be able to leave the cubicle wasteland behind. Fingers are crossed, prayers are said every morning as I commute to work with that feeling in the pit of my stomach. Time to be a Lichpin. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
Some of you hate Trek. Here’s a picture for you of my beloved Trek.
Feed Your Monkey!
Eric
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