Thirty Miles Down

Riding The Verrazano Bridge
Originally uploaded by bridgeportseasoning.

Christ on a stick, are my legs like rubber right now. The bike, fresh out of the shop, purrs when I get it up to speed. And boy, did I get it up to speed tis morning.

I covered the fifteen miles from my apartment to the law office in Evanston in just over an hour (65 minutes, to be exact). Part of it was fear of running late for work (I left the house at 7:45 a.m. and just barreled down the street). I made it into the office in time to change clothes, wash up, make coffee, and get to work.

The return trip? Not so good. Left Evanston at 5:10 p.m. and got to Bridgeport at 6:30. I'd like to blame the west wind whipping, but the fact is I hit the wall around Wrigley Field and couldn't get over it until I reached North and Clybourn. Then, at Halsted and 18th I cramped up something fierce, the last twelve blocks were a fight. Emmy was very understandable when I only walked her long enough to do her business.

My legs are like rubber now, but I'll be doing the same thing tomorrow. I figure that as I build up strength and endurance again I should be able to shave off twenty minutes from each leg, easily. A 20 MPH clip is not out of the question, even on my Schwinn. If I had the Raleigh up and running, it becomes moot. But I always lean toward the Schwinn; it's been there through thick and thin. From the AIDS Ride through my first Bike New York, it's been the go-to bike.