Going Nowhere Fast

From immediately behind me came Ed Dalton’s voice, and I knew that voice was pointed straight at me.

“You had to f#ck around, didn’t you?”

A few minutes earlier, I had jumped out of the line at twenty-four miles-per-hour and tried to make my way to the front with my face in the wind. Within a few seconds, realizing there wasn’t much of a chance in hell I would have the gas to pull in front of T-Mobile Tommy who had been leading the group, I sat up and let our petite peloton slide up the road. Just before slowing down, I glanced over my shoulder at a blue jacket that, I believe, belonged to Dr. Rob. Without the legs or the lungs to reach the front, I felt like I was letting him down, as well as anyone who might have been holding his wheel.

These things happen, I guess.

As for Ed’s admonishment, he was absolutely right. I did indeed feel like f#cking around during most of the ride, although not in a malicious way. Rather, it was quite simple. You have your good days and you have your bad days. Compared to last Sunday when my lungs felt as though they were full of cement, this morning was a vast improvement. It’s days like today, days when I’m feeling good, that I’m probably too quick to stand up and sprint off the front from time to time knowing damn well the rest of the group is going to catch me the moment my butt hits the saddle and I start wheezing from the fifteen seconds of all-out effort I just decided to waste.

Maybe it was the shoes. I invested in my first pair of Sidis--a pair of shoes that actually fit right yet cost a ridiculous $230--which I wore for the first time this morning. How did they feel? Marvelous, baby. Absolutely marvelous (in that I could still feel my toes an hour into the ride).

Overall, though, we had a great ride today. At least I think so. The seventy-degree temperatures that rolled through the area on Saturday seemed to remind everyone that eventually the winter will reach an end and spring will soon arrive, meaning the collective attitude this morning was one of . . . there is a reason we do this despite freezing our asses off in the wind.

On a separate note, I swung in R&A on 5th Avenue this afternoon to grab a new tire. One of the salesman in the shop, Felix, is turning out to be something of a righteous dude. After providing a few pointers on tires and rolling speed and so forth, he not only provided some good advice, but the guy took my bike, tuned up the gearing, fixed a broken spoke in the rear wheel, and then trued it properly. Granted, I did lay out $97 on a pair of Vittoria tires, although the tune up certainly saved me a few bucks and I can now expect much smoother shifting considering I’ve been fiddling with the rear derailleur on my own and generally making a mess of things.

So in the event you find yourself in R&A, I would recommend asking for Felix. He seems to be one of the few guys in there without an attitude issue.

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Steve’s Open-Face Chicken Sandwich

1 chicken cutlet, sautéed or grilled
1 slice toast (white, wheat, multi-grain, whatever)
Shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
1-2 tablespoons salsa

Toast the toast while melting the cheese on top of the chicken cutlet in the microwave. Once the cheese is melted, remove from microwave and place the chicken on top of the toast. Sit down at the table with a glass of soda, water, Crystal Light, or whatever. Spoon salsa on top of cheese-covered chicken. Eat with fork and knife or with your fingers. Enjoy. Repeat as necessary.