Adventures of the Northwest

Point 83 Bike Ride...

After posting Milly on the FixedGearGallery.com website #2451:

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/oct/MollyJohnson_2.htm

I got an invite last week to join this mostly fixie but also geared bike ride. It leaves from Westlake Center every Thursday. They also have rides on Tuesdays but they don't work well in my schedule. So I decided to do last night's ride.

I bought fenders for Milly last week - racer blades - but they didn't fit. I took them back to Marymoor to meet the mechanic but he didn't have time to figure it out since traffic was so bad and I wanted him to do his cyclocross practice. He took Milly for the night (I was told she was a HUGE flirt!!!) and I went to pick her up yesterday. Interesting enough, he said that she seems to have a longer wheel base or something odd. He had to use extra long fender 'spokes' to get it to clear the wheel.

Milly and I left the Green Lake area. I stupidly forgot the bulb to my awesome Cygonite light. I brought the battery, had it all charged and so forth, and forgot the bulb. I quickly ran to Gregg's Greenlake and bought a light which I wanted to get anyway as a backup for night riding this year. Then we were off to Westlake. After crossing the Freemont Bridge I saw a fixie rider at the light ready to turn onto "Elliott" (?) to go around the lake. I was nervous about meeting all the riders even though I knew 2 of them that would be there. So I got the nerve to ask this guy, noticing he was on a fixie, by any chance are you going to the Westlake ride? He said well yes I am. OH it's YOU!, as he noticed my speedblend tires. I laughed ahhh yeah that would be me and you are? He was Tony. Very nice guy. So off we went to Westlake.

We got to Westlake and there were about 30 riders. We talked, some practied track stands and so forth. Then we decided we were going to ride although we weren't all quite sure where. So we ride through downtown Seattle heading south. We eventually go past Georgetown and past the Boeing Field area. We keep going and loop back and through the Rainier Valley area. Aaron looked like a mother ship with his xtracycle and its green and blue lights that colored the pavement. People rode around him - on the sides and behind - like he was the mother ship guiding all of them. :) We pissed off a bunch of motorists through a construction area that was HORRIBLE pavement and only one lane. We could only go so fast. As soon as we could we turned off and took some other roads. There were some lights where we 'blew through them' as me - Miss law obiding citizen was very leery and unsure of whether I wanted to do all these lawful acts. In Rainier Valley area there was a cop at an intersection and there was a red light. Many of the riders blew through it. I was NOT going to and I let the riders near me know that. The cop yelled at us on his speaker - how many red light running tickets am I going to write tonight? Then he said and no helmet and no headlights? I kept saying quietly, to the group around me, not mine, not mine, not mine. PHEW! So we got going and the cop left us alone. We stopped at Safeway and picked up some beer and chips. People were also making 'sparks' with their cleats... eek...first time I've seen that....crazy ass people. We then worked our way up a slow, gradual hill. One where I had to alternate sitting and standing, standing and sitting, sitting and standing. It was good though. But then all of a sudden we started to descend. STRAIGHT DOWN!!! HOLY CRAP!!!! OH MY GOSH! I saw immediately that we were heading down to the I-90 lid where you can overlook I-90, Mt. Rainier, etc. by the Mt. Baker Tunnel but HOLY CRAP! The steepest hill I have ever gone down on a fixie and I didn't feel I could back pedal well and I was GREATFUL I had a front brake! PHEW!

We rested, talked, ate chips, some ate their 'dinner', had beer, etc. at the I-90 lid. It was awesome. it felt good to be there, be active, to have fun, to be on my fixie, and to enjoy the different people. Then they played "Foot Down". Where cyclists cram themselves into a small cement square and try to do track stands, etc. without going out of the box and see who holds up the longest before putting their foot down. It was pretty fun to see and I hope I can learn how to do all that! It looks cool! We then left - going towards the Mt. Baker Tunnel.

We went through the backside of 1st Hill and Capitol Hill. The bulk of the group was going to some place to go for drinks. Another 4 riders decided to go to the U. District and go home. I asked if they could get me back to my car at Greenlake and they said no problem. So they took me that way. I descended some dang hill that was HORRIBLE!!! I didn't know it so I was holding back but it was quite BUMPY and was giving me a headache. My hand ached holding the brake so much. Again, I felt as if I couldn't back pedal so I need to work on that. Eventually we went up another slow, gradual hill up 15th that I had to sit, stand, sit, stand, etc. but I finally got to my car. It was a blast but I was VERY tired. I could barely stay up to drive home. We rode about 20 miles: http://tinyurl.com/8bn9b

It was fun! I got in touch with my bad/wild side a bit even though I was still trying to be the sweet innocent, law obiding citizen I am but still trying to have fun and let go of some inhibitions. I had a great time and almost felt like a little kid wearing regular clothes for a bike ride. It was funny, I got home and then realized my white 'suede' saddle was now 'blue'. Reminded me of a few times where, as a kid, I would ride to church or school with lighter colored pants and end up with a black bottom from riding and rubbing the saddle. Lovely!!! :( LOL!!! :) Oh what fun it was and I look forward to my next ride - hopefully with my home girl diva Jilly! They seemed like a great group - real nice, real fun and I think Jill will feel at home with many of them...hey maybe even hook up with one. ;)

posted by Seattlebiker @ 7:13 AM