PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA

Apparently, I have not descended from my soapbox. However it sounds, do not consider the following a complaint. It is more of an observation. Yesterday I participated in a 100km charity ride, The Wurst Ride. It gets the name from the beer and bratwurst reward at the end. The charity is the Bob Woodruff Foundation, helping those with serious brain trauma. Generally I avoid charity rides, because I find them dangerous (the object of this post). But, the group I belong to, Austin Flyers, wanted to support this charity and it was not a time to let personal likes or dislikes get in the way. By their nature, charity rides bring out a lot of folks who want to do something to support the charity, and the skill level runs the experience gamut. Don't get me wrong, the Wurst Ride is well run and rates an A and the odds are that I will do it next year. But next year I won't get caught near the back when the ride begins. You would think that if you are fit enough to ride 100km, you could handle your bike reasonably well. For the first five miles folks were wobbling all over the road, thank goodness for two lanes of highway being open for us. If they started the ride at 8mph, Lord knows how long it would take to finish. Why they thought they were the only riders on the road, instead of one in a thousand, is beyond me. There were some walking their bikes up short hills that I didn't even get out of my big ring for. In spite of the harsh words, because I knew what would happen, I have no ill feelings toward the slow wobblers. At least they were out riding on a spectacular, beautiful day. But, you need to be aware and bring your patience and until the groups string out into where everyone is riding with the same experience level, be on high alert for the unexpected. And by all means, continue to support deserving charities.