Tom looking totally PRO in head to toe Pactimo !
This past weekend Hottie and I attended a retreat for my
company. It was awesome. The weekend
included a modicum of work and a lot of fun.
There was a chunk of free time on Saturday afternoon and two of my
coworkers and I had planned a ride along a stretch of one of the most scenic
portions of the Columbia gorge.
I had tapped into Oregon cycling legend Lynne for some
specifics on the area and she was able to provide some direction. When my team had passed through this arealast summer we had to portage a couple times and ride a bit on I-84 which was
extremely not fun.
It turns out that after my team rode it last July the
final leg of the bike path was completed the following November. Therefore on this trip my friends and I had
smooth sailing with no freeway riding.
The route was an idyllic mix of paved trail and retired roads (HistoricHighway 30, completed in 1913) before we had to share the winding road with cars.
Men of Gnarl !!
Our group was composed of myself, Alex and Tom. Tom has
been riding for years both on and off road but for Alex this road bike thing is
a whole new world. Alex is a strong
young buck and I had little concern about his ability to hang with us.
The day was perfect.
Temperatures around 70, blue skies with puffy white clouds and shade
from the trees as we rode. The views
were amazing and our pace genteel.
Over the past six months Tom and I had been sprinkling
Alex with bits and pieces of advice as he entered the world of road
cycling. He had a nice bike, good
clothing and had enjoyed his cycling thus far.
Tom is an exceptionally nice guy and even though we hadn’t spoken a word
on the subject, the plan was to keep it inclusive and not drop Alex.
As we got underway
the scenery was breathtaking and we were correspondingly quiet. As the ride stretched out we settled in.
Alex’s shoulders were rocking and he spent too much time
in the big ring. On the one hand we
could see there were a dozen things we could correct about how he was
riding. At the same time the grin on his
face and the glint in his eyes reminded Tom and I that too much “coaching”
could ruin a great ride.
We metered out a tidbit here and there, but mostly the
three of us just chatted and rode. The
ride was an out and back with a single sustained climb to reach the turnaround
vista point. Nobody attacked on the
climb, yet we maintained a respectable pace.
Pactimo Style !
While stopped at the vista before heading back, Alex had
a couple of what he called, “beginner” questions. We didn’t flinch and I know that back when I
was getting started I asked a thousand questions and still made a hundred
mistakes. Ben was the name of my cycling
mentor. One of the ways you know you
have a trusting relationship with another cyclist is when they quietly share
their own, “Once, when I didn’t know any better I actually ______” stories. We all have those stories.
On the way back we had a tailwind and our pace picked
up. With just a few k’s left on our
seventy kilometer ride Alex confessed this was his longest ride ever. We smiled and congratulated him. When we finished he was all smiles and at
dinner that night he was eager to share the details of his accomplishment.
In my journey to curmudgeondom I find I suffer fools less
and less. Even my cold, thorny heart is
touched when I see someone discovering something (cycling or otherwise) that
fills them with wonder and joy.
It was a good day on the bike.
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