SICKNESS FROM HELL & RIDE OF YEAR

{words by carey}
I'm fully recovered after 14 days of stagnation, coughing, headaches, and all the other symptoms of sickness that knocked me down. I can now see the light (literally, as the Pacific NW is now staying lit until 6pm) and smell all the new cherry blossoms that are in bloom. As mentioned in the previous post, I'm a bit late updating things, so this post will contain images from the last ride before hell (i.e. prolonged sickness) entered my body.

First, though, I must say that yesterday was a glorified day for everyone living in the Pacific NW - 67 degrees of warmth licked our faces and arms; it was joyous. Raleigh has a fun bike in the mix for 2007 called the Coasting bike; it incorporates a Shimano computer that shifts automatically for its rider. With 3 speeds, a coaster break, classic look, and an awesome six-pack rack on the front, it's a stylish bike. Brian and I rode the freshly built bikes yesterday, had a blast on the bike path, and generated enough heat to roll our pant legs up and sport t-shirts. Here a couple images of our stroll.

The "commuting" ride into work was rather uneventful, which is always a bonus when pedaling with cars and dodging traffic. The ride at day's end was beautiful; we decided to take a longer route home that hugs Lake Washington and takes you through neighborhoods with names like Seward Park, Madrona, and Leschi. Just after Leshi it was time to say farewell to the Lake and with a short climb we passed by the old house of Kurt Cobain followed by a beautiful section of uphill switchbacks. "I really think these switchbacks are great fun," Brian shouted as he raised out of the saddle to start the climb (we were on our single speeds). I agreed silently as I started to find my rhythm with at least 3 more switches to go. When we topped-out, I was surprised I wasn't breathing as hard I thought I should be. Maybe my cold actually made me stronger or maybe it was the intake of warm air. Either way, we were smiling, chatting, and looking forward to spinning through the Arboretum, after which we hooked up with the Burke Gilman trail in the U District and thence to Ballard.