Fun finale. Large group. I hid out in a lux steam room yesterday eve and it revived me. That, or just as I suspected, I rode myself into decent shape right at the very end.
As it says in the Old Testament, by the seventh eighth day Ron had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh eighth day he rested from all his work. Tomorrow is a rainy rest day.
News alert. I am not buying Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo.* For two reasons. Most importantly, because I want to spend less time with my pocket computer. With a Duo, I’d likely spend more. I want to make eye contact with you, not signal anything about success or social status. Secondly, my vision makes my existing iPad a better reader/mobile t.v.
I want one thing out of a new phone, greatly improved battery life. That’s why I’m getting the new 18. The hope is, top it off while microwaving the morning oats, and forget it.
Speaking of which, I’m sticking with my Garmin sports watch because the batteries in even Apple’s newest watches can’t compare. Apple’s newest/most expensive watch is supposed to get 50 hours. My Garmin lasts a week. Game, set, match.
I have a dream of living in a world free of cables and chargers. Apple should take a clue from Porsche. Porsche’s newest electric SUV can be wirelessly charged . All you have to do is plug in the pad and drive over it. Next morning, all juiced up.
Dear reader, let me know if that Porsche set up is as sweet as it seems.
*First iteration at least. I reserve the right to flip-flop and Duo2 or 3.
According to the Council of Foreign Relations. Their list. I’ve only read one of the seven and it’s hard for me to imagine the others being quite as gripping/illuminating.
I blew it. Tried to be funny, but wasn’t. To add insult to injury, my failed post appeared exactly 25 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Deleted. Apologies.
Alternative title, You Can Put A Fork In Me.
Ride six was supposed to be an easy 25 mile recovery ride, but by the time I arrived at the start it had morphed into a regular 43 miler with a healthy dose of climbing. I felt depleted mid-ride because I didn’t eat a 43 mile breakfast and I didn’t pack three hours of nutrition in my jersey pocket.
But I managed. Running on fumes meant few pictures. Like the (dis)United States in 2026, I’m a shell of my former self. One more ride tomorrow. Sunday it’s going to rain and Monday is travel home day.
I am very lucky to be healthy and to have the friends, time, and resources to have made this trip possible.
Today, Greg, Alex, Tom, and I rode a hell of a long ways to get coffee at a coffee/bicycle shop. Which, in September, is only open on the weekends.
“Gonna see a guy about a cow” became code for “I’m going to take a nature break.” Which is cycling parlance for “I need to whizz.” Which is a crass way of saying, “I am going to dismount in order to urinate.” Since we’re on the subject, get a load of this.
So, it’s okay to pee in the urinal if you bend from the waist a little. And it’s a-okay to levitate slightly about the toilet seat. And to pee into the toilet as long as you lead with your mid-section. What is NOT okay, is squatting on the rim of the toilet. For heaven’s sake, if you feel compelled to squat, put the seat down first. Yes, the length and difficulty of today’s ride could be effecting me. Here are the deets I know you’re dying for.
I couldn’t have found a nicer group of fifty-somethings to beat on me. Really, a spectacular day on the bike. Brilliant roads, more Belgium countryside goodness, and air conditioning with sunshine, blue skies, and temps around 60. One particular stretch, a straight smooth gentle downhill that cut through a heavily wooded forest was as good as it gets.
At the midpoint, Alex and I tried to rebound from the coffee/bike shop being closed by splitting a pizza. Which he washed down with two fahncy coffees. Eating five pieces of pizza mid-ride may not have been the best decision I’ve made today.
Sipping coffee, reading this. Already watched some initial impression vids. I know what’s going to happen. So does “ChromeAce” who started his day by dunking on MacFan782020.
People are complaining mightily about the price. But they will buy it. Because it will be aspirational and it will signal success. If it makes my iPad superfluous, I might Duo myself. However, I will wait for the dust from a few key reviewers to settle before deciding.
And good news. Mine will be free. Because your buying it will raise the price of my shares. Thank you in advance.
Today our nucleus divided into four parts. Chip, Alex, Tom, and I had a tale of two rides.
If you’re a route leader, know that I will grade your route planning. Once an educator and all. On today’s 40-miler (64 kilometers), Dennis had a “D” after our first 17 miles. The four of us had to choose to bounce on the semi-rough sidewalk/bike path or deal with speeding traffic on the very edge of buttery, but busy roads.
And come on Dennis, you know a headwind is going to completely feck up your grade.
Spirits lifted at mile 17 when we finally found ourselves on rural roads. We took advantage of a tailwind through small village after small village. We exhaled, loosened the shoulders, enjoyed the scenery, and made better time. Lots of cool houses sprinkled throughout the villages. Dennis easily ended up with a passing grade. Even at the University of Michigan.
Fast forward to mile 37 where we were bombing a smooth, tree-lined, truly beautiful but narrow road. That had been lightly traveled. I looked down at my computer and saw 35 mph. When I looked up I saw a giant garbage truck barreling right towards us. Skip dove into the gravel shoulder in front of me. I rode the white line and turned my torso to the right and easily had at least 12 inches. Alex, behind me, said he also opted to stay on the road and had one inch.
The rural roads are trippy. Very lightly traveled, but when you least expect it, all of a sudden a large tractor or a speeding luxury car will be barreling towards you. So people, don’t lose focus and live to ride another day. Like us. Peace out.
A very nice recovery ride is in the books. A malaise fell over a large swath of the group this morning. The surviving quintet—AY, SL, MG, DP, and I spent the morning leisurely spinning up and down farmland vales.
So leisurely I learned a lot not only about World War II, but the history of CPUs. I don’t know who was the bigger nerd in the late 70s/early 80s, Dennis or Mark. Tie for first I suspect. They got emotional discussing their first calculators. LOL.
Beautiful scenery that didn’t hit quite as hard on Day 3 such is human nature. We adapt. Dare I say I’m getting used to the beautiful, bucolic, Belgian countryside. There are still surprises though. Like endless bike paths, with “Z” would be thrilled to know, excellent signage. And the Belgians have figured out how to avoid tree root bumps, their tarmac is, like Barbara Streisand’s voice, buttery.
I’m not sure AI will be much help with today’s question. I asked it yesterday, after traversing through some very wealthy enclaves. “Where do the poor people live?” “There aren’t any,” was the duplicate answer I got from a few knuckleheads. Someone, anyone, please do better. Thank you in advance.
Postscript. Click on images for captions.
There are twelve of us altogether. Three went long from the house today. The elite top 25%. The other nine of us, the proletarian 75%, drove just over an hour each way to “ride under the water”. Which meant four to five feet under the surface of a lake on a bike path that divided it. Supe cool.
The driving was not fun, and our parking plan had to be altered due to the setting up of a carnival, then Bob got kidnapped inside Aldi, or so it seemed, so patience was the name of the game. We didn’t get rolling until just after noon.
I managed to fix my computer connection glitch and got the route pre-loaded which meant I was able to drive the train. Which I did. All day. I kept it steady and did my best to keep the group together. It’s always a little tricky given people’s different ages, levels of fitness, and general preferences. No one got too mad at me. I don’t think.
From now on, I think I’ll ride from the base camp. It literally took all day for a shortish/flatish ride. And the last thing I want to have happen twice is getting stuck in the car for more than two hours with Dennis. My Olympia homeboys will understand.
Pressing Pause 