6,000 Miles of Smiles

Today's training ride put me over the 6,000-mile mark on my cycle odometer. That's a couple of good years' worth of pedaling, accomplished over about 27 months. Not bad for somebody who was a beginner just two springs ago. I began riding back then with my Schwinn Sprint bike, a 15-year-old relic with just 10 speeds, heavy steel wheels and shift levers on the down tube. When I started my riding in February of 2003 I probably had no more than 500 miles on that bike over 15 years of ownership. That bike was made in the days when 10 speeds were the standard. Even on the 139 miles of my first Hill Country Ride, I didn't need all ten speeds. I surely wanted some lower gears, through.

This morning's training ride carried us Hill Country Riders for AIDS around Brushy Creek's watershed in the southern part of Williamson County. It's one of my favorite rides, starting with a long stretch with the wind usually at our backs, then turning onto rural ranch roads with very little traffic. The road names are sometimes evocative of the history of this part of Texas: Sam Bass Road, named after the outlaw gunslinger; Hairy Man Road, named after, well, probably every cedar chopper who carved a ranch out of the mesquite and juniper trees.

Brushy Creek Road is the highlight of this 16 miles, smooth roadway that follows the Creek and crosses it on two new, wide bridges. No low water crossings on today's route. This year's extraordinary rain has pushed up a torrent of wildflowers, though, the Indian Paintbrushes, bluebonnets and winecups all waving in a gentle breeze. I breezed in at the very back of the pack, sweeping riders who felt challenged by the mileage. We're all someplace along that training and riding path.

It felt good to cross the 6K mark, though. I delayed buying my Allez Comp 27 road bike in 2003 until I could be sure I'd enjoy this. Now the riding seems an essential part of who I am. Volunteering for the HCRA gives me a way to give back. I think of this time of year, leading up to our ride at the end of April, as my holiday season, a time to smile while being generous with time and spirit. Over these two-plus years not all those miles have sparked smiles, but most of them have.