Drafting Again

Got an early start today. Despite the terrific weather the Lakefront Path wasn't too crowded. At Oak Street Beach myself and another road biker crossed paths. He was rather beefy so I doubted he'd keep up. He struck me as a body builder looking to get a cardio workout. He was on my tail for a good while until I started to run out of gas between Diversey and Belmont. That area always seems to dog me. Another road biker passed me and The Incredible Hulk was right behind him. Their pace was still within my abilities so I caught up and their collective wakes pulled me along. Three guys screaming along can get pretty exciting. The lead man, a lanky guy with a US Postal Service jersey, wasn't riding crazy so we weren't a menace to our fellow path-mates (at least in my opinion anyway).

North of Irving Park, Hulk waved himself off so it was just a two man bike race with the mailman and I. We cruised along at nice clip and as we crossed the Wilson or Lawrence crossing, I came up beside him. Adhering to my sense of road etiquette, I asked if he minded my drafting. He had no problem but welcomed my taking the lead for a while. I took over the wind cutting duty and he complimented me on my abilities considering I was also carrying a bag. It was a small consolation since I now felt like I was going to spit out my lungs. I ran out of gas after a while and he took over the lead. With him in front I was able to keep up again. At the north end of the Lakefront Path he said he was turning around. I thanked him for the lift and I continued biking north and home.

Distance Traveled: 24.7 miles
Distance to date: 225.0 miles
Price of gas: $3.25