Early this morning, a few hardcore people around Portland and who knows where else were rolling out of bed bleary-eyed and probably sleep-deprived for a 6am ride start in Wilsonville. For the next many hours, they’ll be biking down the Willamette Valley and seeing, according to the ride description, a few covered bridges, lots of farms, some forests, and the Willamette River for most of the route. If it’s anything like the last randonneur rides I did get to go on, everyone will be super psyched to be out there, there will be friendly shit-giving, old camaraderie, and, most of all, a spectacular all-day-and-into-the-night ride.
I’m sad to miss it. It’s a giant tease that I found this amazing totally-built-for-stasia sport and then almost immediately started the season of having to work on Saturdays–Saturdays being the sacred day of planned randonneur rides, that is:) I’m super envious of everyone out there right now. Not only because I still have this untested urge to see if I can ride 400k readily enough, but also just because of the sense of missing out on something awesome that’s happening right now without me.
That being said, I’m also incredibly lucky. Because even though I miss today’s ride for work, starting tomorrow I have two whole weeks off. Can anyone say time for a bike trip?! Tomorrow I take off for Eastern Oregon on a very thought-about but loosely-planned two-week adventure. So excited!! I don’t plan to do any computing while I’m gone, but I’ll be sure to let you know how it went when I get back.
So to those of you biking the 400k today, know that I’m thinking you the happiest of happy thoughts for yet another spectacular ride that I wish I was on. I’m jealous, but I know there will be other rides I can actually do come summer. And in the meantime, for the next two weeks I’ll be sleeping under the stars and seeing a whole new part of the state the way it should be seen: slowly, by human power.
Bike happy, everyone! And let me know how it went:)