What a ride!

I’ve been working on finalizing the route for the Memorial ride I’m planning for my bike club. When Alice and I drove it a few weeks ago, I realized it was a bit short for the time I had allotted for riding before lunch. I had an idea about how I wanted to extend it, but needed to check it out to make sure.

I met up with Alice when she got off work. The temps had been in the 70s, but the day we could go, a front had come through and it was sunny but only in the mid 60s. Still nice enough to ride, but being a freeze baby, I had to dress for it. Long underwear - top and bottoms, shirt, sweatshirt, jacket and chaps. With all those clothes on and brand new chaps that weren’t broken in, I felt a bit restricted. Oh yeah, I still have my walking cast on. It’s been 6 weeks since I broke my foot. I think it’s healed pretty good, doesn’t hurt anymore and I can put weight on it now. I see the doctor next week, so I'm not taking the cast off until it’s x-rayed and the doctor tells me it’s healed. I’m not risking re-breaking it and setting myself back. But, I’m not waiting any longer to get back on the bike, either. Since I have a heel-toe shifter on my bike, I can ride with the cast on my left foot. If it had been my right foot, I would have to wait, cuz that’s the braking side and I can’t compromise my ability to brake. Alice asked if she should wear her chaps. I said “oh, yes. It was comfortable standing in the sun, but on the road, a different story.” So off we went.

I was right. When we got going we quickly cooled down. The wind was pretty strong and gusting up to 20 miles an hour. I had cautioned Alice about the impact of the wind on her bike in particular, as it was about 300 ponds lighter than mine and the wind would more likely push her around more than me. I wanted her to be prepared for it. I noticed two things right off the bat. I wear a half-helmet and my head, ears and neck were cold. Plus, when a gust of wind hit, my helmet would skid around my head and pull my chin strap across my neck as it attempted fly off with my head. Not too comfortable. Plus, the front of my walking cast is open and the cool wind was blowing in my cast. At some point I pulled over and put my hoodie up under my helmet. Instant warmth. It quit sliding around my head in the wind and I was good to go.

Alice and I discussed the wind and its impact on riding. I told her about some of my previous experiences with the wind and recommended keeping a good grip on both handlebars. When riding in strong winds, you can’t fuck around with your left hand adjusting or doing something while riding. When the wind gusts hit, you need to be holding on to the handlebars with both hands to be able to keep control. We stopped for lunch at a diner that’s been around for 70 years that I remember stopping at as a child on our way down to the cities. My toes felt like they had turned into icicles. At that time, I gave Alice further advice about riding in the wind, that I had thought about while we rode. When the gusts hit, it may be a natural reaction to back off the throttle. In my experience, backing off the throttle reduces your momentum and the bike becomes more vulnerable to being pushed around by the wind.

By the time we left lunch to continue our ride, it was a bit warmer and more comfortable. It seemed my toes had thawed out a bit. But, I think the wind picked up cuz it was noticeably more challenging riding into a northeast wind that seemed to come from a different direction on every turn. Open fields and big trucks increased the impact. On a long open stretch coming home the wind coming around the back end of an oncoming semi, it felt like riding into a wall. Good thing we were holding on tight. Always keeping an eye on Alice in my rear-view mirror, I noticed at some point that she was on the shoulder of the road. The wind had blown her out of the lane. I had told her earlier about that happening to me, when I was riding a Gold Wing on the freeway back in the nineties. She handled it beautifully from my perspective.

We stopped at a gas station about 10 minutes from home, said our goodbyes, got a quick hug and headed out to take care of the rest of our day. I fared pretty good, no increased pain, although my bad hip was aching a bit because the cast kept me from straightening out my leg comfortably. Alice was feeling the effects a bit more in her hips and neck. We rode just over 150 miles. It was her longest ride yet.

All in all, it was a great ride. Actually, anytime on the bike is a great day, even when the weather is a bit challenging. Can’t wait to get out again.

P.s. You may have figured out that I’m rather passionate about riding my motorcycle. I’ve had this passion since my teens. In fact, back in the day I got sober on Memorial Day weekend, 1979 when I was invited to ride bitch with a guy to a campout. The deal was I could bring my 5th of rum to pour into a coke so I could drink anytime, even on the bike and share his tent. Sounded like a hell of a deal to me (riding motorcycle, plenty of alcohol and just had to sleep with him. - couldn’t pass that up.) Turns out, he was 5 months sober and told me his story just as I had hit my bottom with my lifestyle of pursuing a drink at all costs and my behavior while drinking (whenever I was awake). The next day he packed me up, took me to live with him and to to my first AA meeting. May 28 I will have 46 years of sobriety and continuous healing and growth as I sought a better life than the one I had been living. He taught me to ride my own bike, we joined a sober motorcycle club that first year and since then I’ve been riding every chance I could get.

So, when I met Alice and found out about her mission to ride 50 states, raise awareness of the many resources available to heal, break the cycle of abuse, and take accountability to change, grow and stay out of the abusive cycle, once again the opportunity to ride with her was an experience I couldn’t pass up. I’m so honored to be a part of her mission. (And, guess what? I don’t have to “sleep” with her either-see how I’ve grown?)😁