Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Drafting on a motor scooter.

Today I came home at lunch, threw on my cycling clothes and went out on my bike for a quick ride around. It was freezing this morning with fog so I didn't ride to work. Anyway I headed out on my bike and by the time I got onto the road by the river, my neighbor, Ted, was riding his motor scooter to work.

Ted does triathlon. Now and then we ride together.
Plus Ted is a safety freak and not what I would consider a risk taker. I was on a tour one time and ran into him so we rode together for a while with a woman. We came to a decent that went for several miles. This woman and I just let it rip and went as fast as possible down this mountain. But Ted slowed and really took it easy. I guess it's the ski racer in me.

Anyway he pulls up beside me on his motor scooter today and yells, "I can go faster than you!". So I swing in behind his scooter and start to draft behind him. He didn't expect that! So he throttles up to 35mph (the speed limit, we had been going about 20) and I shift down and stay in the slip stream behind on my bike. Now if he wants to go faster he has to break the law! and it is kind of a dangerous road to go that fast on. It was like that scene in the movie Breaking Away, when that guy drafted behind the truck.

Anyway I wasn't having much of a problem staying at that speed for about 300 yards, but the gap started to open and I lost the draft. I could see Ted laughing in his side mirrors. Finally I sat up and let him go as I fell out of the draft. But I for a while I did push Ted onto the edge of his comfort bubble.

The whole time I'm listening to a political debate with my headphones on NPR. I've really got to stop thinking about politics. It's starting to consume me. So for at least now, no more politics for don.

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