Robbie

Let me tell you all a story about my buddy Robbie. You see, Robbie may be new to cycling, but everyone who rides a bike should realize there are certain things allowed, and well, others that are not. Cycling etiquette may go out the window during a 100 man sprint, but it should always be kept in mind on a 45 degree day on your travels through a town called Ashland.

Well, I am sure Robbie did what most of us did when we were green: he saw two cyclists up the road and tried to catch them. What Robbie didn't know, is that he was trying to catch Micah and I, and well, we don't take kindly to strangers. Well, Robbie did indeed catch us, and we made no attempt to change our speed, or our ride for that matter. Robbie sat on us through the head/crosswind section of the ride, then decided to roll up and say hi (after about 5 miles of sitting on silent). Not only did Robbie not introduce himself, but he proceeded to attempt to ride away from Micah and I in his middle ring. Unfortunately for Robbie, there is a little bump in the road by the name of Andrew Sapp just around the corner.

The angry man and I may have hit it a bit harder than we normally would have up Sapp, but it was not a move that was too excrutiating. Poor Robbie was left, possibly in the granny gear, looking about how this all could have happened. To Robbie's defense, he finally did bring us back into sight right before Lakota Ridge.

Moral of the story: Robbie, if you are out there, next time you roll up on a couple of fella's on your aluminum steed, you should at least introduce yourself (I assume your name really isn't Robbie, but hopefully you see the irony). You may find a couple of joes that wouldn't mind some extra company. Here is a scenario that Micah and I played around with on our way back in:
-said cyclists rides up behind two or more cyclists, and sits on for a second to catch his breath
Robbie- Hi guys, my name is Robbie
Elitist snobs- Hi Robbie, you look a bit tired
Robbie- Yeah, I have been pedaling my butt off trying to catch you two, do you mind if I tag along for the ride
Elitist snobs- No Robbie, we would rather you not tag along...you see, my buddy Micah and I have been having a wonderful ride without your presence, and frankly, I am not willing to compromise that. I hope you have a good ride though.

Here is a more likely scenario:
Robbie- "panting heavily" --after the 5 miles of sitting on
Elitist snobs- Hey man, what are you doing?
Robbie-Well uhhh...
Elitist snobs- you are trying to poach our ride aren't you. Let me tell you a little something about cycling etiquette: you see, if you come up behind two cyclists, you should gather your breath, then simply introduce yourself and ask the cyclists if they mind if you tag along. While in this case, the answer would most certainly be no, you may find someone who is willing to toe you around and tolerate your lack-luster behavior. --the two jerks begin to ramp the pace up a bit, bringing Robbie to his LT; just before Andrew Sapp, the two snobs punch it at the base, leaving Robbie with a bit of puke in his mouth, and a sour attitude towards the two elitist snobs.

That pretty much sums up my ride yesterday. It was deceivingly cool; Micah and I rolled out to Ashland from Mexico Gravel. I showed him the sneaky way around the front of the airport, and for the most part, we had a decent ride.

We got home, K and I cooked up a Thai-steak pizza (mmm, Thai and pizza at the same time), had a cup of Java (no, not Brian) and cashed in. Today I am sitting up at work, thinking about food, and anticipating a warm day (hopefully). Micah has all but yet completed the famous "Coffee Loop" which we coined several years ago on cold Friday mornings. I am pretty sure we were the only two out on some of the mornings, but Osama's always had something warm for us when we got there. It was probably the most consistent ride either of us ever committed to: I think each of us only missed one day over a 4+ month period (and it was a mutual decision). Anyway, because I go to work so early now, we decided it would have to be and English Coffee Ride, (you see, the English always have an afternoon cup of tea or coffee), so we will roll around 2.

Robbie, if you are reading this, don't take my satire to heart, however, do take my advice and you will find much more success on obtaining some company.

-Quote of the ride yesterday - "Curt, when did you become a spinner? You are making me dizzy; I leave for a year and a half, and when I come back, you have went and completely changed your cadence. You might want to ok things like that through me from now on" -Angry Man

-and a close second- -Micah-"Watch him come flyign around us in his 62! Curt-"His 62 what? Chevelle???- refering to Robbie, after the Andrew Sapp incident.