Johnny and I met up at our usual
spot for the commute this morning. He requested a 7am start time instead
of our normal 6am because he had a date and an event last night. Double
duty in the PM called for an extra hour of sleep this morning. Makes
sense to me. My extra hour of sleep caused me to be extra peppy on the
ride. But the peppiness did not manifest itself in a faster ride,
necessarily. It did, however, give me the strength to debate harder with
Johnny regarding his usual liberal drivel. You see, Johnny and I both
claim to be pretty smart guys. But we differ greatly on the political
spectrum. He trends towards left of left with the practicality of an
economist (which means he spouts lots of tailor –made statistics in an attempt
to justify his positions). And I am firmly right of center, focusing
primarily on fiscal practicality. We tend to debate maybe once a week,
only on our rides, and Johnny uses me as his test case to see if his cocktail
party political logic will stand up to the masses. I usually abuse him
and poke holes in his logic, which better prepares him to defend his position
when he has this same discussion with his friends who are much smarter than I
am. Anyhoo … without getting into the nitty gritty, this morning’s debate
was around the educational system and how to solve the problems in
California. And, as usual, Johnny’s go-to solution is to throw money at
the problem (“Its all about the kids”) … blah, blah, blah.
But this post is not about political
leanings, its about our ride this morning and what an incredible wingman I am
(I wish I were an incredible cyclist). So as Johnny and I hit the MV Bike
Trail, having been arguing for ten minutes or so, we passed this cute little
thing dressed in a full team kit. We both looked at each other and nodded
in approval and kept riding. My elevated heart rate - due to the debate -
resulted in my pushing the pedals a bit harder, too. And as we proceeded
down the trail, we noticed that Chickey-poo had grabbed onto our wheels and was
drafting us (this FatGuy does provide one of the best drafts in all of Marin
County). At the Mike’s Bikes light, we slowed and said our ‘good
mornings’. She acknowledged our efforts in dragging her around and we
continued on together. At another light, I chatted her up about her
having to listen to our political debating. She just giggled but the
connection was made. I further set the table for Johnny as I joked about
what a raving Socialist he was … knowing that there was incredible odds that a
woman, in Marin, on a bike, riding to work (she had a backpack on) would most
likely be a bleeding-heart left-leaner, too. So she and Johnny had a
common ground. As we (three) hit the Alexander Hill, I feigned being out
of breath and let the two of them drop me (of course, it had nothing to do with
the fact that Johnny and Chickey-poo don’t combine to weigh more than me).
Johnny let her go ahead and waited
for me (only sixty seconds) at the top of the hill. I assured him that we
would catch back up to her in no time. Johnny informed me that during
their brief time together riding up Alexander, he had learned that a) she was
an architect, b) she recently moved to Mill Valley from the City to help her
focus on her cycling and c) she recently competed in the San Rafael Twilight
Criterium. Not bad info for a six/seven minute conversation.
 |
| While Johnny and Chickey-poo raced up the hill, I stopped to take a picture. It seems that the Sausalito winds were a little too much for this old tree. The gutters, windows and roof of this house seem like they have seen better days. But they fared much better than the BMW underneath. |
Being, again, the giver that I am, I
picked up the pace and dragged Johnny up to her, meeting her just north of the
North Tower on the Bridge. Now the Pimp move would have been to let her
drag us across the Bridge and then comment about what a stud she was after we
had crossed. But, no, Johnny is a bit off of his game. He stupidly
passed her and rode ahead. Chickey-poo didn’t take the bait and she
stayed well behind Johnny. I went for the gentlemanly strategy and stayed
behind - in part not to insult her and in part to just enjoy the view.
Chickey-poo turned left off the Bridge in a less than optimal route and I
caught up with Johnny and we got ahead of her again. This time, however,
I helped Johnny see the error in his ways and we pushed ahead to be sure to be
leading the pack once again.
The ride across Chrissy Field made
for fertile grounds for Johnny and Chickey-poo to germinate their
relationship. I dropped some Marin cycling knowledge and asked her if she
rode for Team Exergy/2012. She was flattered and responded, “Yeah … this
is my last ride before I head off to London for the Olympics.
Joking.” Boom … She’s got a sense of humor, too. Johnny did his
part the rest of the ride to charm her. I kept my mouth shut and just
enjoyed the young love in the air. Johnny even strayed from our normal
route and followed Chickey-poo on her normal course, getting stopped at a stop
light as I continued on my way. In hindsight, that was a good move,
Johnny, picking the longest light to just stand there and stare into each
other’s eyes as you waited for the light to turn.
Johnny got her name and, with the
information we collected earlier, he has ample information to cyber-stalk her
and fill in all the details. I would be shocked if he didn’t already know
her first and last name, current address, where she works (including work phone
number) and other pertinent information. Well done, buddy. You are
welcome for all the hard work I put in for you this morning. I may be an
old married fart, but I still have some game. And I am happy to use my
skills for your benefit. Many happy rides, Johnny. I want to be in
the wedding party ... as long as the wedding is in a tropical locale.
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