What a night, then a day - especially for my good friend Escher. Last night started out easily enough with calm winds and warm temps, but the weather soured not too long after dark as a hard cold-front blew in, bringing winds with gusts to 41 knots and more than 3 inches of rain during the night. Escher & Imelda's new tent from Winnebago did not fare well and was filled with water by morning - they "slept" in the car with Astro, my god-dog, but Escher only logged about an hours-worth of shuteye.
The next morning was cold and rainy and windy. Escher and I jumped in my jeep and drove to Waco. On arrival, with Escher snoring with less enthusiasm about riding, I went out and looked around for the others. There were plenty of people on bikes with a light rain and blustery skies. Encouraging - but how do they know the weather wil improve? I returned to wake Escher and ready the bikes. After about an hour of delays the rain finally sputtered, and the ride officially began with Eleanor (my Mom) & Mike, Jimmy, and Mandy. Yolanda and Leslie stayed behind, cheering us on to what would prove an arduous and frustrating ride for several of our group. Escher, Mandy and I contemplated the 50 or 62, but with unpredictable weather and no foul-weather gear we elected to do 25 with Eleanor & Mike and Jimmy.
After a few slow miles Escher decided to go on and promised to wait at the first rest stop. As we arrived there he was fixing a flat. This would proove to be the first, yet not the only problem of the day for Escher. We rolled on from the first rest stop and within a short time Jimmy and Mandy were a good ways ahead of Eleanor and Mike. Escher and I decided to spend the rest of the ride bouncing back and forth among the two parties. We were sprinting down a little roller and soon caught up with Mandy and Jimmy who were side-by-side chatting along. I transitioned to a spot in front of them and waited for Escher to either pass on by at speed or transition as well. He did neither, but stayed on my wheel, and not expecting me to slow turned his head for a moment. Yet it was less than a moment later that he clipped my rear wheel very roughly from the inside. I knew a wreck was likely and wasn't surprised to hear him go down behind me as I stabilized my bike after a rough blow from behind. Then I heard another crash, and on looking back saw Mandy ride handily over Escher's leg, which was on the ground with Escher. One would think Mandy would have fallen as well after running over such an obstruction, yet she was fine - it was Jimmy who had crashed - a hard pull on the front brakes caused a spill next to Escher. Escher was appropriately brushed up with plenty of road rash and an increasingly sensitive shoulder.
His helmet was fiercely cracked, and he spent the rest of the day with cranial disharmony after his involuntary dismount! Jimmy was in much better shape with only a rough knee and a clipped finger from a place on his bar. Other than some shredded bar wrap the bikes were okay. After Eleanor and Mike arrived we had a good laugh and on we rode - Eleanor keeping up a relatively (and surprisingly) fast pace with Escher as they lead us on through the last 7 miles or so to Waco. Yet Escher would have another flat. It was Mandy, who with a full cabinet of pharmaceuticals and bike repair parts (all miraculously organized in a small tool pouch - how does she do that?), who would come to the rescue with an extra tube, and which Escher punctured in the haze of increasing concussion and shock. Exasperated, he might have considerded SAG had it come along, yet with encouragement and the timely arrival of a Rider Assistant that he was soon underway. The remainder of the ride was fortunately uneventful. The skies had cleared, it was breezy and cool - a perfect day for a ride.
