The weather on Monday last week was so horrible, that I hoped no one would show up for the group ride.
I normally leave work early and race home so I can squeeze in an extra hour of pedalling before the group ride begins. Last week I found excuse after excuse to stay at work late, and then I was so short on time, I had to drive up to the meeting spot, where I stayed in my truck until the last minute.
Sure enough, Jon and Ron were there waiting for me, but considering they are both Swicked employees, I could have just headed back to do some storm watching in front of a fire. (Weak, I know, but it was really nasty out, give me a break)
As I was prepping for my departure I saw a light coming and realized there was one brave soul arriving for the group ride, so I climbed out of the truck and jumped on my bike.
My first question was “What are you thinking? We might drown tonight in this rain?” “My kids are driving me crazy, I just had to get out of the house,” Replied a very wet mountain biker. I laughed out loud, as I can relate quite well with this scenario.
We headed through the puddles toward the trails while sharing stories of kid attitudes, preteen issues, and demands on parents. There may have been the odd “what were we thinking” comment along the way.
There were very few complaints about the weather though and we just rode like it was any other night.
We came to a junction and had to make a decision between doing a bigger loop, or cutting it short and heading back home.
The two of us with young kids both looked at our watches, calculated how long it would take to get home, and deduced that the kids would be in bed. “Let’s cut it short,” came the unanimous vote.
I love my kids, and I truly like spending time together, but we all need a bit of downtime from even the best things in life, despite the weather.
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’…