Blue Wednesday

Terrific weather again this afternoon but I was feeling a little low. Personal and financial issues got me down today and I wasn't in as great a mood as I normally am when I hit the road. So I just toddled along Roosevelt slower than my normal pace. Luckily it was a nice day.

After a few miles I managed to emerge from my funk. Maybe the increased blood flow pushed mood enhancers through my body. I wasn't exactly euphoric but I wasn't quite as gloomy anymore. The wind at my back also may have helped.

No biking buddies today. Everyone was either too slow or too fast. A guy was tailing me pretty close through pedestrian and slow bike traffic in Lincoln Park but he seemed to fade away after we passed Irving Park Road. Around Bryn Mawr I passed a guy on one of those tiny fold up bikes. I said hello but he seemed to ignore me. I once read some folding bike sales info stating that because of different gearing, folding bikes go just as fast as regular wheeled bikes. This guy I passed was moving pretty good but I think it would take a greater effort to match a regular bike's speed.

In Evanston I decided to try an alternate route that took me on Lincoln and Ashland. Lincoln is bike heaven; wide, scenic and smooth. Ashland is the pits; uneven and cracked concrete making for a bone and bike shaking ride. I might try an alternate route from Lincoln though as the route also avoids a moderate hill.

As I approached Isabella, a guy on a road bike zoomed across my path on what appeared to be a training ride. He was sporting a Northwestern bike jersey. I couldn't tell if he was young enough for their team or was an alumni. Either way he was very fast and pedaled way, way up ahead. After we both turned north on Poplar, I saw he slowed a bit. I eventually caught up to him in Wilmette. He didn't seem to manuever through traffic as well as me so maybe it was a new route for him. He was probably doing interval training. I was on his tail well into Kenilworth. He wasn't very friendly and I suspect my presence might have annoyed him. He detoured around Sears School whereas I cut through on a direct route to the Green Bay Trail. I was alone about a mile into Winnetka until, as I expected, he zoomed by me at a high rate of speed. He made quite a bit of distance between us until I saw he slowed again. By this time I made my exit at Tower and headed home to sulk.


Distance Traveled: 24.3 miles
Distance to date: 3204.2 miles
Price of gas: $3.45