NothingToDread.com

2:30 am! What the hell was I thinking when I made that decision?

I never sleep very well when I know that I have to wake up especially early in the morning. I really didn't sleep well knowing that my MacBook Pro/iTunes/Automator alarm clock was set to go off at 02:30 in the am. I tossed, I turned, and I suppose I slept a bit before being awakened by the sounds of the bouzouki introduction to the Falirotissa by Yiannis Papaioanou). I managed to roll my still cursing formerly fat ass out of bed and pointed my still shrinking belly towards the kitchen for a cup of automatically activated freshly brewed coffee. Thank god for timers. I poured a cup, scalded my throat, and poured another before sitting down for a simple breakfast of yogurt and fresh fruit (Strawberries and bananas).

I got dressed, loaded the truck, and pointed it towards Expedition Park in Los Angeles. Since I only took one wrong turn, I found myself standing on the starting line for the Acura L.A. Bike Tour along with a handful of other early risers. The horde formed and the powers that be turned us loose on that deserted stretch of Los Angeles streets that made up our little slice of the Los Angeles Marathon route.

This morning's event was my first organized cycling event. I have to admit that I got a little emotional. I admit that I was slightly intimidated by the initial the crush, but the majority of the twenty-one odd miles of the Bike Tour were rather pleasant. It wasn't a race, but more than a few Racer X motherfuckers made the first mile or so resemble an attack of killer locusts, but once things thinned out a bit, one could safely pass slower riders without resembling a torpedo bomber dodging ack ack flack.

The route had its ups and downs. There were plenty of downhill grades that provided a pleasant rest, but there were also a couple of hills that definitely got my heart rate going. There aren't a lot of hills on my typical morning route, but I did ok. I'm glad I participated in this year's Acura LA Bike Tour, and I'm already looking forward to next year's event.