Hilly

Not quite so fast overall today. I felt good, I don't think it was me being on low battery. Riding solo, there's nobody to keep up with, so that's probably part of the problem. There was also the heat, it was over 90ºF even after the storm that passed through. And there were the hills.



The on the plus side, I made a new record top speed going down that intense hill west of Rosehill on 55th. 44.6 miles per hour, which is an adventure on a 17 year old hybrid. I'll bet on a fast bike, I could hit 50 or better on that one. And feet first, with the lower wind resistance on a recumbent...

On the other hand, somehow the speed on the downhills never quite makes up for the lack of speed going up the other side. And this route has some climbs. Albervan up to Quivira, for a start: I try not to look up when I'm grinding that one out, it only makes things worse.

So I cranked for an eternity in my Ultimate Granny Gear and when it seemed things might be starting to level off, I looked up and instead of the stop sign at Quivira, what I as was that I wasn't even half way to the top.

Coming back east on 51st, more climbs. And headwind. Don't ask me how, but it seems like I managed to be riding into stiff headwinds for three fourths of this ride, as if the winds were shifting to oppose me. I pictured a giant cyclone encompassing the whole route and running counterclockwise to spite me.

I got heckled a lot today, too, for some reason. People rolling down windows to scream shrilly or bark, 'Faggot!' as they passed. And one guy, I couldn't tell if he was heckling me or cheering me on because he mumbled into the wind. So, I could choose to believe he was my third hater of the day, or that he was the one on my side. But even if it was the latter, I decided it was more fun to think the worst of him for being inarticulate. If you're going to hate me, learn to hate correctly.

This goes double for that Brookside battle axe who thinks her daughter is so irresistible there couldn't be another explanation for a person riding a bicycle down the street.

I know, let it go. Stupidity isn't a lifestyle choice, these people are just born jackasses. Some of them probably come from the Deep South where it's been bred into them and taught in the so-called schools they attended.