St. Pat's Day Cruise

Last weekend we seemed to get our first real break from the madness that has been this year's midwestern winter. Saturday morning I suited up, grabbed the ol' Nature Boy and headed out towards the lake for a cruise. It was my first time on a bike this year without a winter hat, and I couldn't be happier. As I passed through Lakeview, I quickly noticed the hoards of green-clad, seemingly intoxicated folks stumbling through the streets. It was only early afternoon. It was then that I realized that it was St. Patrick's day, or rather, the weekend prior to the drinking holiday. I have really no interest in celebrating, and in fact, usually make a point to avoid wearing green on the weekend of. However, after realizing this, I glanced down and found that I fit right in, atop the greenest bike out on the street. After that, I made a point of riding to the Chicago River to take an ironic photo of the Ol' Boy next to the river that had been filled with celebratory green dye.

It ended up being a fun ride. It was cold out, but tolerable, and it was nice to be on the bike without feeling complete misery. At the end of the ride, I was kinda beat. It's been a while since I've really gone out and rode for hours. Motivation has been minimal, in part due to the horrendous season, and in part due to the fact that I'm living in a new area, away from my usual group of riding buds and regular routes. Having friends to ride with is probably the single most motivating thing to get on the bike. When you make plans to ride, it's much easier to back out and turn yourself down rather than turning your friends down. Things are looking up though, and so are the temps. I'll be getting out more often now, and getting back up to speed shouldn't be too difficult.