this morning after the daily duties with my two boysthen the standard morning walk with the dogs
I went out for a little pre-work ride
had roughly a hour to spin before I needed to be in at work
on my ride through Rock Creek Parkway I turned down Pineybranch Parkway
the same stretch of road that Marvin Kalb bitched about bikers
there I saw my Aussie friend John Shovelan
John is a person to admire
approaching 50
he has a passion for his bike
he has a passion for his kids
and
he has a passion for his life
somehow he manages to keep a healthy balance
John turned around at my hello
I turned around for John
I invited him to alter his route to match mine so that we could chat
so we rode along side of each other and caught up
it amazed me how john a few years my senior was able to match my pace
me on my skinny tired cross bike
while he was on his wife's mountain bike
at several points I offered to slow pace
each time he denied me
perhaps I should have been more direct and just asked to slow down for me
we caught up
the conversation meandered
we talked about wives, work, children, and of course bikes
it was a great way to start the day
riding fast with a friend down the Capitol Crescent Trail into work
we cut into the city
my office building directly next to john's
we went our separate ways
there was mention of grabbing "tea" some afternoon
I smiled and waved
carried my bike into the office
showered
got to work...
well... showered.... checked my messages... made a few calls
made this blog post
I am getting to work now
John's Journal of his cross country bicycle trip from a year or so ago