Day off - Joan was doing hair stuff, a good time for me to get out and about. Since we are beyond the loose gravel on all the roads, I decided to head out for a ride on the Trail Viper...
Out on the road, on the level...
If you can't make out the screen, I am doing 14.8 mph on the level, not working too hard. Joan said she'd be at least an hour, so I had plenty of time - heading for my "loop" by False Bay. There are some uphill stretches...
Doing 7.8 mph on the uphill - not bad for an old guy. I turned off the main road, where there are marked shoulders for a bike lane, and down a wooded lane towards False Bay...
This is my favorite part of the loop. I also hit a new personal high speed on the downhill stretch here: 25.4 mph. I was going to get a photo of that, but holding on to the handlebars with one hand at that speed on a bicycle - not a good idea... gets a bit squirrelly.
Around the corner and into the pasture lands...
There is a view of Haro Strait off to the left...
Well, more of a glimpse than a view. Rounding another corner, there was a car stopped in the road... oh, and a flagman in front of him. I rode around up to the flagman and asked, "Are you oiling the road ahead?"
"Yep, but just one side right now - there will be a pilot car in a couple minutes - you can stay on the side where it isn't oiled."
And then he had a bunch of questions about the bike. We chatted until the pilot truck arrived, I waved the only car to go ahead of me, and I took off...
Yep, that is freshly oiled - you can smell it. The pilot truck must have been doing about 25 mph - I was pedaling in the top gear, and could only do about 20 mph on the level. A couple miles later...
Oh sure, they have the signs on this end of the road - nothing where I got on it. I waited for traffic on the main road at that intersection, and that flagman had questions about the e-bike. I should carry brochures. Heading uphill from that intersection, there were signs warning about the fresh oil...
The rest of the ride was uneventful... and mostly uphill. That's the downside of getting above 25 mph on a downhill stretch.
When I got home, I put the bike away and headed for the shower. Well, before the shower, I was feeling like it was time to scrape off the beard. Joan said, "You better put a LOT of sunscreen on for the next couple weeks - that skin hasn't seen the light of day in a long time."
Good point. OK, I lost the beard, but kept the mustache...
One of us isn't crazy about this look... something about looking like an 80s porn star... or maybe it was a porn star in his 80s? Regardless, I think I'll keep it at least a day to see how my naked chin feels.
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