Triple Double

It's Cleveland Bike Week, and there's lots of stuff going on this week, to coincide with National Bike to Work Week. I typically get 2-3 commutes to work a week, and was hoping to do the same this week.

The weather lined up nicely yesterday for a commute, and then I attended the Ride of Silence. This ride was to honor those who have been injured, or lost their lives in cycling related accidents. For once, there was a cycling related event taking place here on the East Side of Cleveland. We gathered at Whole Foods (less than a mile from my house), I am sure there were close to 100 riders. There was a brief ceremony prior to heading out. We rode down through several East Side suburbs and picked up a few riders here and there. It was cool to see the variety of riders. There were kids and grandparents, road bikes, hybrids, brakeless fixed gears, mountain bikes.


We continued down to University Hospitals in University Circle, and met another large group that started out in downtown Cleveland. There was some additional ceremony, and mingling with other riders.

Cyclists are a cool bunch, and at the end of the day, there was a lot of respect shown for those who were honored, and a lot of respect for others on the road.

My man Pat and I road back up past Little Italy and made our way back home. So yesterday, I completed my first triple double (all fixed gear miles). I rode to work, 11 miles each way, and did the Ride of Silence, which was 10 miles by the time I got home. I survived, legs were a little rubbery, but I made it.

One funny side note. A bunch of us stop at a stop sign just prior to getting to University Hospital, I am very close to the right curb, unclip with my left foot for a few seconds and start rolling again...but...with a bunch of others dodging and juking around me...I was heading towards the curb!!! Ack, time to invoke my ninja training and in one [somewhat] fluid motion [for a 245lb cyclist] I manage to get up over the curb, in mid-air unclip my right foot and somehow get my left leg over and I end up on the sidewalk standing up holding my bike upright on the rear tire [it really happened]. Of course, as with any of my cycling follies, falls, or endos, I scrape up my left shin. I'm telling you, my shins have bulls-eyes on them.