Easy Rider

Sunday, I rode my bike north to Owl Canyon & back -- a 40-mile round-trip mostly on quiet county roads. It was chilly -- 33F at start, 36F at end, and thankfully no wind.

On the way back, I got a pinch flat when I hit a small rock. When I pulled over to the side of the road, I went off the asphalt... into mud. Dumb, dumb, dumb, because it made removing the tire to change the tube a bit messy.

When I got it fixed, a Subaru was driving slowly towards me with its emergency lights flashing. It was just ahead of a college-age cyclist, "pulling" him along with its slipstream. So I started riding before it reached me and sped up to 22 mph... but after a few minutes, they still passed me, the cyclist barely having to pedal!

What did Howard do? I followed them at 24 mph from about 50 yards back for the next 3 miles while the guy continued to draft/coast behind the sedan. Eventually I turned right towards a cement plant while they continued south towards town.

It's said that cheaters never prosper... but they CAN STILL pass Howard!