Ghosts of Saddle Sores Past
I went for my first ride since the crash on Saturday. It was a short ride on the W&OD trail out to Leesburg and back. Observations: Track stands hurt like hell. That's when you bring the bike to a stop at a stop sign and balance so you don't have to take your feet off the pedals. Sprinting and climbing out of the saddle also hurt, but a lot less than trackstands. About 25 miles in around 2 hours.
I went for my second ride on Sunday with Mike Wheeler. On the way to meet Mike, I passed my brother-in-law walking on the trail in Reston. What are the odds of that? Mike and I rode east to Reagan National and then headed back. We split up near the Big Wheels Bike Shop, Mike lives a couple blocks from there. I started up a short hill and BAM! The heavens opened up and the wind pushed the rain sideways. Thunder and Lightning split the sky. The temperatures had been really high before that and now, I was soaked and freezing. The rain washed the sweat into my eyes and I had to pull over within a half mile because I couldn't see. I stayed under a bridge for about 20 minutes until the lightning subsided a bit, then I headed west with due haste...I got hit by another storm cell near Falls Church, but it was really satisfying riding out the other side, which was just past the bridge over 495. I bonked pretty bad on east side of Reston and had to take a break. About 48 miles in 4.5 hours.
My shorts were soaked way back in Arlington and by the time I got home, my RAAM saddle sores had resurfaced. Time to start using Chamois Butt'r.
