Not pedaling to Portland this year

...but John is.

Yep, I decided against doing the STP this year, even though John enthusiastically took up the challenge again. Training is so time-consuming...instead I have partially remodeled the basement and built a chicken coop for my new hobby, raising chickens.

John drastically cut back on training this year, taking the schedule we followed last year and beginning it at the half-way point, so that he only rode for 7 weeks instead of 14. He reported from the road this afternoon (because today is the 1st day of the STP) that it has gone very well. So I'm encouraged by that, and I suspect I will try to do it next year -- or, at least, some other century or double-century ride.

We went over to John's house last night for a carbo-loading feed just like last year, and after all of that pasta, I decided to ride today. With no training, other than the 10-mile round-trip commute to work that I've been doing on and off since February, I made it all the way to Marymoor and back -- 53 miles.

I was riding back through Fremont, near Gas Works Park, when about 30 naked bicyclists popped out of nowhere and began riding down the Burke-Gilman. There happened to be a "Ride the Duck" vehicle passing right at that time, and the tour guide was ecstatic; she couldn't believe her luck. "Look!" she shouted. "NAKED BICYCLISTS!!!" And out came the cameras.

I'm sure that completely made her day.