Ok, Ok, I know I’m neglecting the blog a little bit, so here’s the latest:
My final day in the Ozarks was somewhat of an “easy” one. David (mechanic from Bikes Plus) made the trip over from Memphis Saturday evening to get his new Rip9 out on some real trails. So, in the morning we headed out to the Orange & Green loops (my personal favorites). He hauled all sorts of *ss on the rocky decents and overall had a pretty awesome time (as did I).
Monday, I took it easy & went for a hike with the puppies out at Shelby Farms. It always sucks to get back to reality after spending a large part of life focusing on training in some amazing & gorgeous scenery. Makes me want summer to hurry up & get here!
Tuesday, the first RB’s group ride of the season. Ryan and I rode there. I felt kinda crappy and got reminded that road stuff hasn’t been my training focus at all this winter. This weekend’s gonna hurt.
Wednesday has been the highlight of my week, though. I happened to catch wind of a “Tweed” ride in Midtown. At first, I didn’t believe that such a thing could be happening in MEMPHIS, but Facebook confirmed it, so it had to be true.
I gathered together some of my old horseback riding clothes (corduroy jodpurs and tall boots) then made a trip to Goodwill to find everything else to pull a couple of dashing British outfits together. Once I was home, I dusted off the old Free Spirit that I found in someone’s garbage almost a year ago (Ryan brought his cruiser home from the poison factory), and we were ready to rock.
When we arrived at the Midtown Peddler Bike Shop, I knew we’d be in for a good time. About 35 people gathered and left the store to make a slow 5-mile jaunt to a nearby Fox and Hound bar. The ride has gone (way up) on my top 10 list of “most fun I’ve ever had on a bike.” Drivers and pedestrians were entertained as well. Apparently, all you have to do to win Memphis drivers over is to be well-dressed and tip your hat to them as you ride by.
Once we made it to Fox & Hound, the judges deliberated over who had the best costume (I’d had no idea it’d be judged) while everyone enjoyed refreshments. First prize was a new Brooks saddle! The Free Spirit was in dire need of one, so I was hopeful. To my surprise, my name was called along with 3 others. However, I was a runner up. The two finalists both had (fake) moustaches, which was apparently more along the lines of what the judges were looking for. Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time, and ended up riding back with a small group.
I’m anxiously awaiting the photos. I’m also anxiously awaiting the next event. If you can get 35 people to show up on a weeknight, I wonder what would happen if it were held on a Sunday afternoon…
Edit: Photos! (Thanks to Danny Wilson)
