Missing Our Miles

Rain! It’s gotten in the way of our training this season for the Hill Country Ride. Once more, we had to cancel a long ride out in the Hill Country — just a few miles off the course of this year’s ride — because of a thunderstorm watch today.

The Dripping Springs ride route that got away today. Only four roads, but a dozen hills among the 53 miles.

The Dripping Springs-to-Johnson City ride is way out in the country. Some parts of the route don’t have cell phone services, kind of a risk in case a rider goes down in a crash. And that kind of crash can happen, even to an experienced cyclist. A few weeks back one fellow reached down for his water bottle, took his eyes away from the road for a moment, and ran off the pavement. Broken hip, required surgery.

Today’s course would have been fun in the right weather. We might do the 53 miles later on, but it will have to be rescheduled soon. The ride starts five weeks from today. Tomorrow my wife Abby and me and my friend Ron Wilcox will try to make up for the missing miles by riding to Georgetown and back, about 44 miles altogether. It's called the Georgetown Breakfast Club Ride because it can include a stop at the Monument Cafe for pancakes en route. Last time we tried to ride it, we got rained out.

Maybe the next time I'm here, I'll be wearing my bike jersey. From the right end and working counterclockwise, that's Fred, Abby, me, Leo, Phillip, John and Ellen on the other end.

Tomorrow's weather prediction is for 16 MPH winds with temperatures in the 50s. Brisk for a Texas springtime. Even through it's late March, I'll be wearing the full-fingered riding gloves again.