Le Tour de Shawnee

Okay, I actually started in Merriam, and I was in Lenexa at one point. But the Tour de France, I've noticed, strays into Switzerland and Italy, and I was mainly in Shawnee.

My Dad watched Mo (Em was on an awake-over with friends) so I could get another training run in. I got an email from the MS people reminding me that there were 64 days to go yesterday, and that doesn't sound like very long to prepare. Seriously, folks. Sponsor me.

Plus, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make Monday's ride, so it was good to get one in this weekend. Dad lives in a pretty hilly section of town, actually right off the route the Trek group has been doing Mondays. I started to follow that route but I think I conflated it with one we'd done back in June and I ended up in new territory.

And, surprise, I was riding on streets. Alone. Not trails, not the sidewalk, on the street. Jennifer's comments made me think, wait a minute, I always wanted a motorcycle and I sure as hell wouldn't ride it on the sidewalk. Plus, I think, I'm starting to be more comfortable out on the bike. Still very wary of traffic, mind you, and I did try and stay away from truly heavy car traffic.

No way would I do what I've seen some cyclists doing: putting on an iPod. That seems like suicide. Hard enough to hear with the wind in your ears on a downhill.



Ended up deciding to take 67th Street west, which meant climbing. Got to Lackman, and the downhill was just too tempting. I even timed the light at the bottom. I was flying. I had a mental image of this mountain biking speed record video I saw where the guy's bike frame brakes and it ends up being a speed record plus a record for the grisliest mountain bike accident ever.



Climbing that hill on Lackman, though, my head got so hot my helmet actually melted, and by the time I got to the top of the hill I had liquid styrofoam on my shoulders.



I took Lackman to 79th, then out to Shawnee Mission Park, then down Renner to Midland to Blackfish Parkway to the last section of the Monday route. Except I finished all on Switzer, which gave me a couple more hills to climb.

I'm still a full fledged granny gear artist, but I climbed several hills today that I wouldn't even have attempted a couple months ago. Not fast, mind you, 18.3 miles in 1:45, but I got over the hills. Feelin' it now when I go from sitting to standing or the other way around, and I'll sleep good tonight.