Unlikely Ally

Last night we stayed in the Space Age Lodge again. Future historians take note. Commerce in the Space Age relies heavily on the Pre-industrial Age rail system. I know this because the railroad track that runs 30 yards behind the motel is extremely busy. About every 45 minutes, a freight train towing scores of huge crates labeled 'CHINA SHIPPING', chugs by and blows it's horn. All day and all night. Truthfully, I'm not too sure about the all day part.

Today's route was shorter than usual, so we rolled out a little later than usual. I was last out at 8:00. Another reverse route -- this time back to Casa Grande. Buster rolled out right behind me, but mostly stayed back a ways. For the last few days, Buster and I have been adhering to a tentative unspoken agreement. He stalks me all morning, hanging on my wheel, taunting me, and providing the occasional nouggy. He lets me pedal to lunch and eat, but afterwards he beats me up and takes my ice cream money -- leaving me to limp my way on to the next motel. Even so, I'm getting used to the abuse and am not letting it get to me as much as I used to. In fact, I think Buster may actually be looking out for my safety, as I'll explain in a bit.

The morning portion of the ride was a 30 mile stretch with a moderate headwind and a slight incline. The combination was frustrating because neither the wind nor the grade would have normally been that much of a drag. But the combination made me work pretty hard just to maintain 12-13 mph. The incline leveled off after the first snack stop, allowing me to pick up the pace a bit, but the wind remained throughout the day. The bulk of today's mileage was divided between two roads -- route 238 and route 347. Other than the scenery, both of the roads are almost identical. Two lanes, 55 mph, one running in each direction separated by a dashed yellow line, and a shoulder less than a foot wide. Because of the shoulder being so narrow, I essentially have to ride on, or slightly inside, the white line.

The combination of that shoulder and the moderate truck traffic can make for some interesting riding. For the most part, the trucks swing wide into the oncoming lane giving me plenty of room. When they do that, it is actually quite helpful because all of the air they are pushing negates the headwind and gives me a few seconds of tailwind. There are some trucks, however, that don't give much room. When this happens, usually due the oncoming traffic which prevents the truck from swinging wide, the effect from the wavefront is much different. Instead of getting a gentle push from behind, you get a sharp lateral punch. Sometimes it is difficult to control the bike when that happens. Because of this, I always move my hands off of the aerobars if I hear a truck coming while there is oncoming traffic. This way, I have better control of the bike when that blast comes.

This is where Buster comes in. I was riding along in a tuck, with my hands on the aerobars trying the duck the headwind. I heard a truck coming up behind me in the distance. Since there was no oncoming traffic, I figured I would stay tucked. The truck would give me the customary wide berth and tailwind. Buster, however, had other ideas. He tweaked me enough to make be want to stand up and reposition. To do that, I had to get off of the aerobars. Just as I had done that, the truck came by. It was probably moving about 75 mph and gave me no more than six inches of clearance. The shockwave pushed me to the right about 6 inches causing the handlebars to jerk pretty violently. I managed to stay on the road, albeit just barely. Had I been in the aerobars, I would have almost certainly gone down. Buster had my back.

Just why Buster was looking out for me, I may never know. Perhaps he just wants to keep me around so he can continue to torture me. Or maybe he really does like me. Who knows. I think that, underneath it all, Buster is really just a sad and neglected kid who does not really want to seriously hurt anyone. Maybe one day Buster and I will become friends. Regardless, after today I owe him one.

Ride Summary

Distance: 68 miles
Speed (avg/max): 14.7 mph / 22.6 mph
Riding Time: 4 hours 38 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 26 minutes
Power (avg/max) 137 watts / 674 watts
Calories Measured at Wheel: 2,281
Heart Rate (min/max/avg): 106 bpm / 165 bpm / 145 bpm

Miles this Year: 926