Believe it or not, my legs are paler than this in winter
Today, I did the unthinkable.
Today, I rode my bike...on the road. Not just any road. A two-lane country road! With two lanes! Separated by paint! I know, WILD right?!
And although I was actually only on that road for a total of 30 seconds (round-trip), I felt exhilarated. As I was reaching the end of the lane into our neighborhood, I was hit with a surge of moxie and instead of popping a U-ie just took a right instead. I explored two lovely neighborhoods I hadn't been in before then turned back for home. And to get home, I had to make...A LEFT TURN. OFF THE TWO-LANE ROAD WITH TWO LANES.
I glanced over my shoulder, hoping to see a clear stretch as I had when I first started this uncharacteristically risky caper, but of course there was a line of three cars slowly approaching behind me. My mind began to race as I realized I would have to...USE ARM SIGNALS! I've never used arm signals on a bike before, because I've never had to. The most directional information I've had to communicate on a bike was a loud "On your left!" one time on a bike trail. And that was to my mother-in-law, as I passed her after she asked me to take the lead.
Basically what I did was extend my arm straight out to the side (the direction I was turning), then I think I might have waved it around and pointed a little bit, for emphasis. Regardless, the driver must have understood what my flailing meant, because she didn't run me over. And I lived to tell the tale.
So shocked by my own chutzpah was I that I had Noah take a picture of me with my bike afterward to mark this day, a picture that didn't turn out great for a number of reasons:
1) Noah has a bad habit of making me look fat in photographs
2) In addition to biking for 30 minutes in our very hilly neighborhood, I had just run jogged lumbered around on foot for 10 minutes, so as to "practice my transitions" for the sprint tri. Thus, I was covered in three gallons of sweat.
3) There was a storm rolling in, so I didn't have the opportunity for a 15-minute photo shoot. Which is the average length of time it takes to get one photo of me with only one chin, and I'm not really sure why.
After a few shots I told him we could call it a day, and I'd just Photoshop the best image to make myself look better. So I did:
This folks. This is the face of a champion.